Topic summary
Functional foods
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Functional food.
Relationship to related terms
Functional foods are commonly distinguished from dietary supplements because they are consumed as part of a normal diet rather than as pills, capsules, or other supplement formats. The concept overlaps with nutraceuticals, fortified foods, and medical foods, but these terms may have different meanings in scientific, commercial, and regulatory contexts. Functional foods are generally presented as conventional foods or beverages that contain, lack, or are modified to include components associated with potential health benefits.