The hidden power of functional foods
Keywords:
Functional foods, bioactive compounds, chronic diseasesAbstract
Nutrition plays a fundamental role in people’s health. Therefore, foods are considered functional when they provide essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as compounds that, together, generate positive effects on the body and help prevent disease (bioactive compounds). These types of foods offer an accessible and everyday option for improving quality of life and nutrition. For this reason, they have become a resource in preventive medicine.
References
Alimentación y Salud. Universidad de Navarra. (2026). Disponible en: https://www.unav.edu/web/comida-sana/alimentacion-y-salud
Pincay, I. P., Gualan, T. L. C., Viteri, H. M. G., & Andrade, F. J. Q. (2024). Dieta alimentaria para la prevención de enfermedades no transmisibles. ARANDU UTIC, 11(2), 1140-1155. https://doi.org/10.69639/arandu.v11i2.330
Temple, N. J. (2022). A rational definition for functional foods: A perspective. Frontiers in nutrition, 9, 957516. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.957516
Hajzer, Z. E., et al Hajzer, Z. E., Alibrahem, W., Kharrat Helu, N., Oláh, C., & Prokisch, J. (2025). Functional foods in clinical trials and future research directions. Foods, 14(15), 2675. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14152675
Nath, A., Vatai, G., & Bánvölgyi, S. (2023). Functional foods and bioactive compounds through environmentally benign emerging processes. Processes, 11(4), 1182. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11041182
Konstantinidi, M., & Koutelidakis, A. E. (2019). Functional foods and bioactive compounds: A review of its possible role on weight management and obesity’s metabolic consequences. Medicines, 6(3), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines6030094
Arshad, Z., Shahid, S., Hasnain, A., Yaseen, E., & Rahimi, M. (2025). Functional foods enriched with bioactive compounds: Therapeutic potential and technological innovations. Food Science & Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.71024
Yanni, A., & Kourkoutas, Y. (2022). Functional foods and bioactive compounds for improving and maintaining digestive health. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 815370. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.815370
Zhao, J.-W., Zhao, W.-Y., Zhao, M., & Yu, L. (2024). Functional foods and bioactive compounds: A comprehensive review on their role in mitigating drug-induced liver injury. Frontiers in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1499697
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de divulgación científica iBIO

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Self-archiving or deposit of the works in their post-publication version (editorial version) is permitted in any personal, institutional or thematic repository, social or scientific networks. The above applies from the moment of publication of the article in question on the website of the Revista de divulgación científica iBIO.