
Publication Describes Scientific Needs for
Developing Health-Enhancing Foods By Judy McBride October 29, 1999A new report could help scientists
in the health, nutrition and plant sciences sharpen their focus on developing
health-enhancing foods. Plants make more than 100,000 compounds not essential to their growth. A
number of these secondary compounds may play a role in reducing chronic or
degenerative diseases in people. Lycopene in tomatoes, sulforphane in broccoli
and genistein in soybeans are a few of the so-called phytonutrients that have
captured headlines. According to a recent survey, more than half of Americans eat a food or food
component for a specific health benefit. But before plant scientists beef
up fruits and vegetables with phytonutrients, they need to know which
compounds are most beneficial and whether they work alone or
synergistically--as evidence suggests they often do. To give plant scientists definitive answers, nutrition and health scientists
need better tools to measure phytonutrients' efficacy in reducing disease risk.
The new 56-page report discusses these needs along with the state of
phytonutrient science. Forum and Workshop on Food, Phytonutrients, and
Health appears as a supplement to the September Nutrition Reviews. It is
the proceedings of a 1998 workshop of plant and nutrition scientists, food
technologists, and immunologists. The Agricultural Research Service,
USDA's chief scientific arm, sponsored the
workshop to stimulate collaboration among the disciplines. According to the proceedings editors, former ARS national program leaders
Carla R. Fjeld and Roger H. Lawson, one immediate boost to nutrition would be
to use current technology to retard softening of fruits so they can be
harvested and marketed at a more mature stage, when phytonutrient levels peak.
Scientists are already analyzing lines of broccoli and other produce for
natural differences in phytonutrient levels. A wide difference means the
vegetable can be bred for higher levels. And genetic engineering has produced a
line of tomatoes with 10 times more lycopene. For $35 (includes shipping and handling), the proceedings can be ordered
from Allen Press: phone (800)
627-0629, fax (785) 843-1274, [email protected]. Scientific contact: Kathleen C. Ellwood, ARS
National Program Staff, Beltsville,
Md., phone (301) 504- 4675, fax (301) 504-5467,
[email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |