Is Whole Cereal Grain a Functional Food? What is the Functional Food Concept Trying to Accomplish?

The relatively new concept of functional foods is supportive of sales of food products that deliver isolated 'nutrient' or 'food compound' substances, much as is done by dietary supplements. Whether such isolated substances have benefit must be investigated in each instance; such investigations can be complex. At the same time, simply prepared natural plant foods contain a myriad of substances that, in accord with the concept of food synergy, are beneficial for health. Whole grain foods are an example of such healthy fare, based on strong epidemiologic and experimental evidence. If the concept of functional foods is to be of use for the public health, it should support the consumption of healthy traditional foods as well as promoting 'novel' foods; in this sense, whole grain foods, which have great functionality, should be regarded as functional foods.