ABSTRACT
Food is necessary and important for human beings. The health benets of functional foods and nutraceuticals have been greatly emphasized recently. Why are functional foods and nutraceuticals so popular? The major reason is the new challenge of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to human health. NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are not transmitted from person to person. They are of long duration and generally slow progression. The four main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma), and diabetes.1
