Health Medical Homework Help

I’m working on a nutrition question and need an explanation to help me learn.

Have you ever been told by a friend that you should eat a particular food because it cured whatever was wrong with him or her? That all health problems magically disappeared when he or she started eating that food (or taking that supplement or herb or whatever)? When a food or food-related product has been associated with improved health, those foods are generally referred to as “superfoods” and the hype that surrounds them is legion. We all want to be healthy, so health is the “hook” which sells a product – whether it’s a food, or a beauty cream, or a.shampoo!  

Many of these foods really do have some established nutritive value and are often referred to by nutritionists as “functional foods”. The trick is to know what science has shown these foods really can do, as opposed to the “hype” that promises they can do everything! There are several ways to identify false or exaggerated claims. The claims may be unfounded because of a lack of research, or it may be that the cited research has been conducted by the food grower or producer, or limited to anecdotal records or celebrity endorsements. Or it may be simply because the only scientific study was conducted with a sample N of 10!  If you truly believe a food is “functional” and offers documented health benefits, there will be evidence of scientific research that has been peer reviewed and accepted by certified or licensed professionals in the nutrition field. Be sure to include reference to that research at the conclusion of your thread.

When a food or nutrition product is promoted as being universally effective in preventing or treating a specific condition or disease, that’s “hype”..What works for one person may not have the same effect on another person. When we see the term “superfood” used on websites, we can be fairly sure that that site is geared toward selling a product. From kelp (seaweed) to green tea, the list is endless. And sellers don’t limit their claim to one condition – they claim that their food cures virtually everything that’s wrong with you!  Different cultures have different “superfoods”, too, making this a “global” concern for consumers who are desperately searching for alternative health solutions.