Funcfood is an interdisciplinary research programme at the Functional Food Science Centre at Lund University. The seminar of the seven young researchers was attended by about 100 people – researchers, journalists and industrialists.
One of the latest research results described was a new technique for customising edible fats. Rapeseed oil and linseed oil is mixed with about the same quantity of ALA. ALA is alpha-linolenic acid which is an essential fatty acid. ALA oil and butter do not raise cholesterol after a meal as much as olive oil. Good research advice concerning intestines was that we should eat more bilberries. Bilberry skins and to some extent also rye bran and a combination of oat bran and bilberry skins have been found to delay large intestine inflammation. Bilberry together with probiotics (which is present in some yoghourts) reduces inflammation and cancer of the large intestine. The benefits of rye were further emphasised by Liza Rosén, PhD student in industrial food science. She has studied white rye flour and found that it gives much better insulin and blood sugar levels than either ordinary wheat flour or bran.
- The rye flour sold in shops is often a blend of different varieties. If we want to optimise the health benefits, we should eat porridge or bread made from whole grain which contains all parts of the grain, she says.
Studies on mice indicate that it would be beneficial for people who risk developing type 2 diabetes to eat wholegrain rye every day instead of wholegrain wheat. The researchers hope to be able to design a special bread for people like these.
One could ask how it is possible for these benefits to act together. This is also a subject that is being studied at present at Functional Food Science Centre. Test subjects are asked to eat foods with different physiological effects in a "dietary package" in order to study the effects on the risks of diabetes.