OVERVIEW
It is becoming increasingly clear that many foods,
including dairy foods, have beneficial health effects beyond just
providing for nutritional needs. Some key concepts concerning functional
dairy foods include:
There is strong evidence, based on numerous in vitro and in vivo animal
studies that dairy foods provide numerous ways to protect health and prevent
disease.
Almost all components of milk and its products possess physiological
functionality beyond nutrition.
Many of the
components of milk have more than one
physiological function.
Dairy foods
possess a natural “cluster” of nutrients that protect health and enhance the
immune system.
To date,
limited human clinical trials have generally supported the concept that dairy
foods do provide a basis for enhancement of human health There is need for
additional human clinical trials to provide final evidence currently in the
literature.
Physiological
functions and the products and components associated with these functions
include the following:
Immunomodulation
Modified whey protein concentrate
Colostrum
Probiotics
Lactoferrin
Lactoperoxidase
Kappa casein glycomacropeptide
CLA
Calcium
Anti-microbial/
Anti-viral
Lactoferrin/lactoferricin
Lactoperoxidase
Lactalbumin
Casein glycomacropeptide
Microbial toxin
binding
Whey protein concentrate
Beta-lactoglobulin
Alpha-lactalbumin
Casein glycomacropeptide
Protection from
some cancers
Whey protein concentrate
Lactoferrin
Alpha-lactalbumin
Peptides
Sphingolipids
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
Butyric acid
Protection from
hypertension
Immune whey protein concentrate
Whey protein concentrate
Peptides
Anti-inflammatory
Peptides
Colostrums
Immune milk
Anti-thrombotic activity
Lactoferrin
Peptides
Reduction in
cholesterol levels
Whey protein concentrates
Whey Protein isolates
Stearic acid
Opioid like
activity
Peptides
Prebiotics
(stimulating growth of Bifidobacteria)
Casein glycomacropeptide
Oligosaccharides
Amino sugars
Maintaining a
healthy gut
Probiotics
Anti-oxidative
effects
Whey protein concentrates/isolates
Lactoferrin
Bovine serum albumin
Vitamin C
.