Short Communication DESIGNER FOODS-THEIR ROLE IN PREVENTING LIFESTYLE DISORDERS

Designer foods are the processed foods that are supplemented with food ingredients naturally rich in disease preventing substances. Food design, designer foods, functional foods, nutritionally modified foods and genetically modified foods are some of the myrid terms that appear in the popular scientific food nutrition press. (Samuel Godber, 2007). Development of designer foods has mainly based on the technical approaches like product formulation, novel processing and modification of raw materials. Lifestyle diseases also known as non communicable diseases are conditions associated with the way people live and behave. According to World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheets, lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, respiratory diseases and gastro intestinal diseases account for 59 percent of the 56.5 million deaths annually and 45.9 percent of the global burden of disease (WHO, 2009). In this review, we introduce the beneficial effects/role of Designer foods and functional ingredients that can help prevent the diseases associated with changing lifestyle.