Exploration of Functional Food Consumption in Older Adults in Relation to Food Matrices, Bioactive Ingredients, and Health

Abstract

The functional food industry is expanding, yet research into consumer perceptions of functional foods is limited. Older adults could benefit from functional foods due to age-related food and health issues. This research gathered information about functional foods from community-dwelling older adults (n = 200) who completed a researcher-administered questionnaire about consumption, food matrices, bioactive ingredients, and health areas addressed through functional foods. Overall prevalence of functional food consumption was found to be 93.0%. Commonly consumed foods included yogurt with probiotics (56.0%), eggs with omega-3 fatty acids (37.0%), and bread with fiber (35.5%). Functional food matrices primarily consumed were yogurt (51.5%), bread (44.0%), and cereal (40.0%). The primary functional food bioactive consumed was dietary fiber (79.5%). Most participants (86.2%) indicated that they consume functional foods to improve health, and the major areas specified were osteoporosis/bone health (67.5%), heart disease (61.0%), and arthritis (55.0%). These results inform health professionals regarding the potential of functional foods to support health among older adults.

KEYWORDS:

• awareness
• barriers
• bioactive ingredients
• fiber
• food matrices
• functional foods
• older adults
• probiotics

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research for funding support, the older adults who participated in the study and Jenna Campbell for her help in construction of the study questionnaire.

Notes

^a A functional food was defined using an information sheet in partial accordance with the Health Canada definition of a food that is “similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food, is consumed as a part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, i.e., they contain a bioactive compound” (Health Canada, 1998). However, the current study excluded conventional foods to limit the definition of a functional food to foods that had undergone processing or manipulation to add or increase the level of a bioactive.

^b Food matrices were described using an information sheet as food forms into which bioactive ingredients could be incorporated including beverages, breads, cereals, cheese, crackers/cookies, eggs, granola bars, margarine, pasta, salad dressing, and yogurt/yogurt beverages.

^c Bioactives were described using an information sheet as ingredients that can be added to a food product, or their levels enhanced, to increase the health promoting or disease preventing properties of the product, and include ingredients such as antioxidants, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, prebiotics, and plant sterols.

^a All data is participant-reported.

^b Sample sizes may total less than 200 as participants had the option of not answering a question.

^a Participants were able to select more than one health area that they do or would address through the consumption of each specific bioactive ingredient and could specify “don't know” as a response.