Br J Nutr. 2002 Nov; 88 Suppl 2(): S139-43.

Global view on functional foods: Asian perspectives.

Arai S.

Department of Nutritional Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Japan. ara@kiwi.ne.jp

There is an old Chinese thought meaning that medicine and food are isogenic. In Japan, a national research project started to endorse the thought scientifically, with the birth of functional foods that are now known to function to reduce the risk of life-style related diseases. The science gave rise to a national policy in which some functional foods were legally approved in terms of Foods for Specified Health Use. China has also constructed a unique system for approving some functional foods. This paper pinpoints a recent trend of functional foods characteristic to Asia, with special reference to relevant topics in Japan.