Functional foods and nutraceuticals

Functional foods represent a precious instrument which research is placing at the disposal of society, nevertheless, their unconditioned use, not preceded by suffcient information, could possibly not exert any positive effect, or even favour the persistence and/or onset of states of malnutrilion, both in excess and in defect, particularly when substituting a conventional food item with a health commodity modifies, without reason, food traditions ard may even lead to monotonous eating habits. The use of foodstufs other than traditional food items should, therefore, be interpreted as a means of integrating the diet and should not be proposed as an alternative to it. In conclusion, on the basis of the above mentioned chemical and microbiological characteristics of "functional foods", it can be seen, in our opinion. that the healthy effects recognized in the Mediterranean Diet are to be attributed to the fact that it is naturallv rich in functional foods!