Functional Food Interventions for Mitigating Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Adults
Abstract
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the extent to which taking functional food affects the cardiovascular risk parameters of adults. A standardized questionnaire was applied to collect diet habits, knowledge and frequency of functional food intake as well as self-reported cardiovascular indicators comprised of blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose from 512 individuals aged 25 to 65 years. Most participants (78%) knew about functional foods and oats, nuts, and fatty fish were the products most ingested. Higher consumption of β-glucan-rich foods (≥ 5 times/week) was significantly related to lower odds ratio for high cholesterol (OR: 0.66, p = 0.03), and that of omega-3 rich foods was significantly associated with reduced odds ratio for hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 0.60, p = 0.02). There was no significant relation with plant sterol fortified food intake and LDL cholesterol, largely because usage was low. Obstacles to utilization were cost and lack of availability. The results indicated that the increased consumption of some functional foods was accompanied by a more favorable cardiovascular risk profile. The results also highlighted the significance of recommending functional foods in preventive policies.
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