FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND CHRONIC DISEASESFunctional foods:One of the principles of Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, was "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". This principle emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet for good health. There is still general agreement that diet is related to health, well-being and disease prevention. The discovery of vitamins and minerals in the early 1900s explained deficiency disorders such as scurvy, rickets and beriberi. But nowadays overnutrition prevails. Diseases such as coronary heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes have become chronic. Research from the 1990s recognized that some nutrients have powerful biological effects in addition to their nutritional value. This recognition has sparked interest in studying the effect of micronutrients and other biologically active food ingredients on disease. Functional foods include potent agents that induce health benefits in addition to their nutritional value. Some examples of such food ingredients are lycopene in tomatoes which reduces the risk of cancer, phytosterols in Benecol margarine which reduce cholesterol levels thereby reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Nutrition-Related Diseases and Relevant Functional Foods: Most functional foods are designed to alleviate the problem of health-related diseases developed due to overconsumption. Most bioactive food ingredients come from plants and belong to phytochemicals. Some bioactive food ingredients are derived from animals, such as omega-3 fatty acids from fish. CANCER: Diet has a great influence on cancer prevention. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research examined the effects of nutrition...... middle of paper ......f Congress Control Number: 2005902635ISBN-10: 0976753502 : ISBN-13: 978- 0976753506) Product dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches.2. Functional Foods for Chronic Disease, Volume 2, The Modern Cure Without the Side Effects of Traditional Treatment Library of Congress Control Number: 2006903730ISBN-10: 0976753529; ISBN-13: 978-0976753520 Product dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches3. Functional Foods for Chronic Disease, Volume 3, Advances in the Development of Functional FoodsLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2007909262ISBN 10:0-9767535-4-5, ISBN 13: 978-0-9767535-4-4Product Size: 10 x 8 x 0.7 inch4. Functional Foods for Chronic Disease, Volume 4, Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disorders, and AIDSLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2009906605ISBN 10:0-9767535-5-3, ISBN 13: 978-0-9767535-5-1Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches