If you're confounded by the number of foods that have been named "superfoods" over the years, you're not alone. It seems that every six months, some obscure vegetable or oddly colored drink is pushed as the cure-all for everything that ails us, all the while promising to prevent Alzheimer's, ward off cancer and keep us living well into our eighth or ninth decade.
And it's worked — for the vendors, at least. According to the market research firm Global Industry Analysts, the worldwide market for superfoods, which is fueled primarily by baby boomers with disposable income and a desire to stay healthy and live long, is expected to reach $130 billion in 2015.
But are the foods all they're cracked up to be? Or is it just a ploy to keep us searching the shelves at our supermarkets for the next big thing?
The European Union took a definitive stance in 2007 when it banned use of the term "superfood" on packaging unless the claim could be supported by scientific evidence. The United States has no such ban, however, and while there's general consensus as to what the word refers to — a food that's rich in vitamins, antioxidants or other nutrients — it's still "purely a marketing term," said Dr. Ilya Raskin, a professor at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
"In some cases, what is touted as a superfood may have some advantages over conventional foods — you will not hear that term associated with what we know is bad for you, like fat-loaded junk food," Raskin said. "But I do think it has a misleading ring to it."
Superfoods have been bestowed with "mythological" powers, he said, and although some of these are science-based and quantifiable (blueberries, often placed in the superfood category, have demonstrated benefits for those with such health conditions as metabolic syndrome, but apparently so do strawberries and cranberries), they don't take into account a person's individual needs.
For instance, grapes and watermelon may be packed with nutrients and antioxidants, but they're also high in sugar. That might not be a problem for the average person, but for those with diabetes, it can present a "clear danger," he said.
Green tea is a similar case. Numerous Internet articles claim that the drink can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and fight off everything from diabetes to tooth decay. But while there is some evidence to support certain claims (such as a 2014 study that found that green tea may benefit cognitive function), other studies have had mixed results, and the Food and Drug Administration won't allow labels to say the drink can reduce risk of heart disease or cancer.
Furthermore, there is evidence that the concentrated doses of green tea extract found in some supplements could actually do harm to the liver.
But still, no one will say that drinking a normal amount of green tea is bad for you, and that might be the biggest benefit of the superfood craze: Instead of being bombarded with marketing from companies that are trying to make unhealthy things sound healthy, superfoods actually are healthy — even if it's not in the overblown way advertisers want us to believe.
Janet Brancato, a registered dietitian and community educator at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, pointed out that a little good publicity for things like broccoli or cauliflower isn't necessarily a bad thing. "[It's] a marketing term for healthy food, and I think it's helped to make it more popular and trendy," she said.
But potential problems can arise when consumers either eat too much of one thing (for some, blueberries can cause serious gastrointestinal distress, and too much kale may cause or exacerbate hypothyroidism), or ignore fruits and vegetables that haven't received that label; blueberries are marketed as superfood, even though there's no evidence that they're any more "super" than strawberries, apples or blood oranges.
Susan Kraus, a clinical dietitian with the Hackensack University Medical Center, said that diversity in food selection is more important than focusing on any individual item.
"People will label anything as a superfood … but we need a good 50-plus nutrients a day, so it's not just one food that we want to hone in on," she said.
And Dr. Patricia Murphy, a cardiologist at Westwood Cardiology, said no one food holds a monopoly over heart health, which comes more from eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.
"The benefit [of superfoods] are exaggerated, but it's good for people to think about what they're eating and make healthy choices," she said. "I still think that the advice from [author] Michael Pollan is the best: 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' "
So will washing down a steady diet of kale and quinoa with gallons of green tea keep us disease-free? No, probably not. Raskin said that for the best results, the old advice is still the best: Talk to a physician or nutritionist about what diet best suits you. And ignore the next round of articles on "must-eat" foods.
"I try to eat healthy according to the recommendations of dietitians and physicians, and maintain a healthy diet emphasizing sufficient servings of fruits and vegetables," he said. "And that kind of basic nutritional advice will trump any specific superfood at any time."
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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/getting-real-about-superfood-love-1.1192281
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