INFORMATION IS NOT KNOWLEDGE: ABOUT FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Introduction: Functional foods (FF) are those that, in addition to what they provide nutritionally, are beneficial for health, improve the welfare state and reduce the risk of getting sick. Probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, functional nutrients and non-nutrient functional compounds are considered functional. The aim of this study was to analyze the knowledge about FF in a university population. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 university students were interviewed (26 of Dietetics and Human Nutrition Degree, 45 of Degrees on Letters, 32 students of Health Sciences and 17 students of several Degrees on Sciences). There were 95 women (79.17%) and 25 men (20.83%), with a mean age of 22,57 ± 1,90. All they fulfilled a Questionnaire to assess their knowledge about FF, which was responded voluntarily. Results: It was evident that the knowledge about FF is very scarce in university populations and, although something better, quite poor among the students of human nutrition and dietetics. The consideration that FF benefits are not always clear, some dangers derived from excesses, ignorance of regulations in a large part of the interviewees, etc. lead to that conclusion. Discussion: The success in the binomial information-behavior change is based on a series of factors related to the content and design of information, but most campaigns and communications related to health end up appealing to the fear. The fact that FF are largely linked to commercial interests or to the simple fact of being something fashionable might be elements that discourage to deep into the knowledge about FF.