Functional Foods, Ageing, and Degenerative Disease

Degenerative diseases linked to ageing populations are a growing problem for the developed world. Edited by two authorities, this important collection reviews the role of functional foods in helping to prevent a number of such degenerative conditions, from osteoporosis and obesity to immune system disorders and cancer. The book begins with a number of introductory chapters which discuss the regulation of functional foods in the EU, the role of diet generally in preventing degenerative disease. Part 1 then examines bone and oral health with chapters on the use of diet to control osteoporosis, the use of functional ingredients to improve bone strength, and ways of maintaining dental health. Part 2 discusses how obesity can be controlled, whilst Part 3 looks at gut health and maintaining the immune function using functional ingredients such as probiotics and prebiotics. The final part of the book reviews research on functional foods and cancer with chapters on synbiotics, anti-angiogenic functional foods, glucosinolates, dietary fibre and phytoestrogens.Functional foods, ageing and degenerative disease will be a standard reference for all those concerned with the role of functional foods in the prevention and control of degenerative disease.About the editorsProfessor Claude Remacle is Head of the Unit of Animal Biology at the internationally-renowned Universite Catholique de Louvain, where Dr Brigitte Reusens is a senior scientist. Both are noted for their research in functional foods and degenerative disease.