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Importance of dietary solutions to control NCDs
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Monday, 04 May, 2026, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Shashank Bhalkar
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Rapid industrialisation in the 20th century had both benefits and disadvantages. There was an improvement in methods of agriculture, increasing the yield of crops and providing food to people who are not in agriculture. There was also tremendous development in food preservation and processing methods, which helped reduce the loss of agricultural products and make them available for longer periods and over greater distances as preserved and processed food.
Industrialisation led to urbanisation, causing the migration of populations from villages to cities. There was a change in the lifestyles of both physical activities and eating habits. From heavy physical work on farms and related activities, it became a sedentary lifestyle in offices. From eating foods made at home, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, to eating more refined, processed foods much more often. There was control over communicable water-borne or vector-borne diseases such as TB, HIV, and cholera because of developments in the medical and pharmaceutical sciences. At the same time, changed lifestyle and eating habits resulted in a rise in NCDs such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic respiratory diseases globally as well as in India.
This underlines the importance of dietary solutions to control the NCDs. Once this need for foods as medicine for modern ailments was realised, it triggered interest in companies and governments to develop a category of foods that offer physiological benefits beyond providing nutrition. These are generally termed “functional foods”. Functional foods originated in Japan in the mid-1980s when the Japanese Government provided financial assistance for research into such kinds of products. Functional foods are poorly defined. The FAO definition is as follows, “a foodstuff that provides a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, demonstrating specific health or medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease.” However, this definition could create confusion. Many commonly consumed foods like beetroot, peanuts, pomegranate, strawberries have phytochemicals and bioactive compounds which offer health benefits. That way, many foods we consume can be classified as functional, which are actually “healthy foods”. Categorising many substances as providing health “beyond basic nutrition” can also lead to confusion. According to this term, dietary fibre cannot be a functional food. Carotenes in general are provitamin A and get converted to vitamin A in the body, which is part of basic nutrition. Whereas, lutein and lycopene have no Vitamin A activity but play specific functions “beyond basic nutrition”.
A more pervasive definition of functional foods can be, “Foods that are formulated so that they can have substances and microorganisms that have possible health-enhancing or disease-preventing value and at a concentration that is safe and sufficiently high to achieve the benefit”.
Based on this definition, the following are a few examples of functional foods:
- Added nutrients: These could be products like orange juice with added Calcium or margarine with added Omega-3 fatty acids. These kinds of foods give protection against some ailments. Omega-3 fatty acids may be protective against cardiac disease, memory, and cognitive impairment.
- Microbiomes: The importance of microbiomes is proven because of their many health benefits. Probiotics are important for gut health as well as immune functions and weight loss. Innovative products based on useful microbiomes beneficial for health could be developed, which can be called functional foods.
- Prebiotics: Prebiotics help to grow healthy gut microflora. Products based on beta-glucan or fructans are examples of such products.
- Plant sterols and Phenols: Products like margarine and some foods added with plant sterols can be beneficial in the reduction of blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol.
- Catechins: They are flavonoids extracted from tea that are known to be protective against obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Products based on catechins, which are non-vitamin organic substances, have beneficial health effects.
- Anthocyanins: They belong to a class of compounds called flavonoids, which have antioxidant effects and are believed to be health-protective against many diseases and products manufactured based on these compounds may be health-enhancing.
Nutraceuticals are substances in foods or botanicals that provide benefits beyond nutrition. When added to foods, they become functional foods. Therefore, in the above examples of foods containing anthocyanins, catechins, or plant sterols are functional foods.
These kinds of products are occupying a large space in the markets. The global market of functional foods was estimated to be US$280.7 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a rate of 8.5 % from 2022 to 2030. Many manufacturers are focusing their attention on developing these kinds of products and are also adopting new strategies, like selling them online. Several factors drive the market growth. The main reason is the rising awareness of wellness and healthy eating. This is by individuals and is also enhanced because of awareness campaigns by Governments, NGOs, and companies. Other factors, such as increasing life expectancy and a rising elderly population, can be drivers for boosting market growth. A variety of product trends are becoming popular. Products are based on fortifying with nutritional additives such as Omega-3, probiotics, Vitamins, Minerals, and fibres. A range of food and beverages can be developed based on this. Functional dairy products like yoghurts, milk, cheese, and frozen desserts are gaining popularity. In this segment, market-based on carotenoids (which include Lutein, Lycopene, beta-carotene, astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and annatto) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% between 2022 to 2030. The vitamin-based functional foods segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.7% during the same period. Consumption of dietary fibre has many health benefits, including bowel health, cholesterol reduction, and blood sugar control. The market based on this is also expected to grow faster.
If the product-based market growth is to be considered, the dairy segment occupied more than 38%, followed by bakery and cereals. The dairy segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.9% in the forecast period. The bakery and cereals segment accounted for 26% of the market share by revenue. Demand for bakery and cereal-based products will increase. The market for cereal bars, protein bars, and nutrition bars will grow. Demand for soy products is expected to rise at a CAGR of 9.9% from 2022 to 2030. There is a large scope for products with specific applications. This will include products for sports nutrition, weight management, cardio health, immunity, and digestive health.
The Indian nutritional supplements market size was estimated at $42.97 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2025 to 2030. India’s nutritional supplements market is primarily driven by its young population, increasing disposable incomes, and rising health awareness. The growing prevalence of lifestyle-related conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases has heightened the demand for supplements addressing weight management, immunity, and general wellness. The popularity of Ayurveda and herbal-based supplements, combined with the government's support for the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) industry, has spurred innovation in natural and plant-based products. In addition, the rapid expansion of e-commerce platforms and urbanisation has improved access to a wide range of supplements, particularly among millennials and health-conscious consumers in metro and tier-2 cities.
The right solution to get rid of rising incidences of NCDs, which is a huge problem because of the lifestyles of the people, is to have a balanced diet and regular exercise. This is not always possible in modern living, as people find it difficult to practice because of their busy lives. Functional foods will be a probable answer, and they will stay and grow.
(The author is executive director, Protein Foods and Nutrition Development Association of India)
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