Superfood
Superfood is a marketing term that describes foods with alleged health benefits . The positive health effects associated with certain foods are partly based on scientifically proven connections. However, it is questionable how such scientific findings, which were obtained under laboratory conditions , with animal experiments or with the administration of very high doses, can be transferred to real diets.
The European Food Information Center writes on superfoods:
"[...] and although scientific studies often show positive health effects, the results cannot necessarily be transferred to real nutrition."
The Advertise with Superfood and similar terms that bring the consumption of products with health-promoting effects in connection, according to Health Claims Regulation of the European Union prohibited unless an effectiveness has not been confirmed through a rigorous approval process.
definition
The term superfood has been used since the beginning of the 20th century, but has only become generally known in recent years. There is no official or legally binding definition of the term.
According to the Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary , a "nutrient-rich food that is considered to be particularly conducive to health and well-being" is referred to by the term.
The European Food Information Center refers to "food, especially fruit and vegetables, which because of their nutritional content have a higher health benefit than other food" as superfood.
Foods purported to be of particular health benefit
- The properties of a superfood are ascribed to the blueberry . On the one hand, this can be attributed to the fact that blueberries are rich in anthocyanins . These are said to slow down the growth of cancerous cells in the colon and even kill them. Blueberries also contain other antioxidants that have been tested on animals to prevent the age-related loss of memory and, in some cases, reverse it.
- The açai berry is also often referred to as a superfood. The pulp of the fruit contains antioxidant substances. However, evidence of the resulting health benefits in humans has not yet been provided.
- Due to its high flavonoid content , cocoa is saidto helplower blood pressure and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease. However, the amounts that could have a significant effect are hardly reached with regular consumption of cocoa, for example in the form of chocolate. At the same time, consumption would not only increase the absorption of flavonoids, but also that of other nutrients, some of which it is recommended to consume less.
- The common wolfberry is said to be very nutritious. Fruits, also known as goji berries , provide vitamins and minerals, just like other fruits. According to advertisements, they should protect against free radicals due to the large amount of antioxidants they contain. They are marketed as a "natural antiaging source". The goji berry is "healthy, but it has no advantage over normal fruit and vegetables", summarizes the nutritionist Emilio Martínez de Victoria from the University of Granada .
- The chia seeds from Mexico are repeatedly advertised with various health claims. While they are a good source of polyunsaturated fats and proteins; however, their nutritional content and digestive effect are comparable to those of the flaxseeds native to Europe .
- The yacon , which is also called Inca root , has tubers with the indigestible carbohydrate inulin ; this contributes to the targeted promotion of desired intestinal bacteria that stimulate the metabolism. The stalks are eaten as a vegetable. As a dietetic, low-energy food, the tubers are promoted more particularly in Japan.
- Moringa powder is also sold as a dietary supplement , among other things. The level of scientific knowledge does not indicate any particular nutritional benefit. Instead, the food inspection authorities are increasinglycomplaining about unfair advertising in the segment. The products often have pesticide residues or are microbiologically contaminated.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c FOOD TODAY 11/2012. Superfood: what is really behind it? (No longer available online.) European Food Information Council , November 2012, archived from the original on March 2, 2015 ; accessed on February 1, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ superfood. Oxford University Press , accessed February 1, 2015 .
- ↑ Malin DH et al .: Short-term blueberry-enriched diet prevents and reverses object recognition memory loss in aging rats . Nutrition, Volume 27, Issue 3, ScienceDirect 2011.
- ↑ Ramona Lichtenthäler et al .: Total oxidant scavenging capacities of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) fruits . International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Volume 56, Issue 1, Informa UK Ltd UK 2005.
- ^ Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Carl L. Keen: Evidence that the antioxidant flavonoids in tea and cocoa are beneficial for cardiovascular health . Current Opinion in Lipidology, Volume 13, Number 1, LWW 2002.
- ↑ Goji berry: Disenchantment of the miracle berry . focus.de, December 18, 2010.
- ↑ The Guardian: The truth about 'miracle foods' - from chia seeds to coconut oil , accessed March 5, 2017
- ↑ Bettina Levecke: Chia seeds: Superfood - super good? In: Spiegel Online . October 17, 2015, accessed July 5, 2016 .
- ↑ Waldemar Ternes , Alfred Täufel, Lieselotte Tunger, Martin Zobel (eds.): Food Lexicon . 4th, comprehensively revised edition. Behr, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-89947-165-2 . , Page 2087
- ↑ Ellen Scherbaum, Dr. Christiane Lerch: Moringa leaf powder - still with residues and unfair application , Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office Stuttgart
