About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The journal of Functional Foods in Health and Disease (FFHD) focuses on understanding the link between food bioactive compounds and health, in order to create new healthy, functional food products based on scientific research using food bioactive compounds. These new functional food products will be designed for the prevention and management of chronic diseases and disease symptoms, as well as for overall health promotion. To this end, Functional Food Science and the FFHD journal cover a broad range of research areas which includes identifying biologically active food compounds, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of their effects on health, and demonstration of their biological efficacy.

The Functional Food Center defines “functional foods” as “Natural or processed foods that contain biologically-active compounds, which, in defined, effective, non-toxic amounts, provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit utilizing specific biomarkers, to promote optimal health and reduce the risk of chronic/viral diseases and manage their symptoms." Accordingly, the scope of our journal also includes clinical studies by using sensitive biomarkers so we can prove and document health benefits of functional foods and food bioactive molecules.

The journal’s overall focus is on Functional Food Science, which is a new and unique area of health and nutrition. Although currently a small scientific field, Functional Food Science is quickly expanding as studies show that functional food products can help manage chronic disease and promote overall wellness. This is reflected in our journal’s rapidly growing citation score.