Medical foods, Functional foods, and Dietary supplements
Medical foods means nutritional substances in any form that are formulated to be consumed or administered enter ally under the supervision of a physician. Functional foods are the foods that marketed for purposes other than nourishment of your body. For instance, Activia® is a probiotic yogurt. It helps to regulate your digestive system. On the other hand, Dietary supplement is a manufacture product that can provide nutrient extracted from food source in order to increase the quantity of their consumption.
Difference among medical foods, functional foods, and dietary supplements
| Medical Foods | Functional Foods | Dietary Supplements |
|---|---|---|
| Medical foods are foods that are specially formulated and intended for the dietary management of a disease. | A functional food is a food that claimed to have an additional function by adding new ingredients or more of existing ingredients. | Dietary supplement is a manufacture product that can provide nutrient extracted from food source in order to increase the quantity of their consumption. |
| Formulated to consume under the supervision of a physician. | No need to consume under the supervision of a physician. | For some cases needed to consume under the supervision of a physician. |
| Manufacturers are not required to prove efficacy or safety before marketing medical food. | Required to prove safety before marketing functional food. | Does not required to prove efficacy or safety before marketing dietary supplement. |
| Taken when a patient is receiving active and ongoing medical supervision. For a condition requiring medical care. | Have a potentially positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition. | People take these to make sure that they get enough essential nutrients. |
| Example: Axona is marketed for “Alzheimer’s disease”. Limbrel is marketed for “osteoarthritis”. | Example: Activia, Dan Active, Grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and modified foods such as yogurt, orange juice are the examples of functional food. | Example: Vitamin D and B12, mineral like calcium and iron. |