功能性食品行业关注心脏健康（原创翻译）

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尽管提出了大量关于心血管疾病风险的警示，英国人对改善心脏健康做得还是太少。现在，功能性食品制造者将上市有利于心脏健康的产品，以期改变这一趋势。当然，在目前的经济形势下，业者必须很努力说服消费者为这些产品买单。

WHO估计200年有1750万人死于心血管疾病，如果这一趋势未能逆转，2020年的数字将上升到2050万。形势不容乐观，Datamonitor预测2013年时将有近40%的英国儿童超重或肥胖。

原因之一是全球很多人都低估了心脏疾病的威胁。哈佛健康出版社的一份调查报告指出，一半女性能正确认识到心血管疾病是女性的主要死因之一，但只有13%的受访者视之为自身最大的健康风险。事实上，大多数人都将乳腺癌作为主要关心的问题，尽管每年心脏疾病导致的死亡率是乳腺癌的六倍。

另外，2008年只有1/3受访者告诉Datamonitor，他们很关注或非常关注自己的心脏健康。令人忧虑的是，超过1/4（29%）的受访者承认其关注度低或很低。

功能性食品制造者正试图纠正这一状况，他们创造出有利于心脏的产品。已经有一些令人感兴趣的产品，胆固醇含量更低，甚至消耗卡路里。但是，英国人对这些产品的可信度仍然保持怀疑，特别是其消耗卡路里的特点。Datamonitor调查中，45%的人认为这些自称的特点不值得相信，只有12%的人相信。

尽管如此，对“心脏健康”产品的兴趣总体上在上升。Omega 3已成为消费者熟知的成为，声称饱和脂肪或胆固醇低的食品开始流行。吸烟是另一个重要风险因素，令人鼓舞的是，吸烟的人数也在减少。

确保我们的心脏的健康是一项艰巨的任务，现状的信息不容乐观。问题的关键是，消费者不相信仅仅使用这些心脏健康产品就能解决其问题。心脏健康的实现，一方面是饮食，同时还有生活方式。现代人锻炼的时间越来越少！也有迹象表明这些产品会使心脏更健康，但在目前的经济困难形势下，业者需要更努力地说服消费者。而且，人们必须在为时已晚之前，尽早开始长期关注心脏健康。

http://www.datamonitor.com/store ... C-8D43-23986ED5C2E0

Functional food manufacturers looking to heart health

Despite numerous warnings about the risks posed by cardiovascular diseases, Brits are still not doing enough to improve their heart health. While functional food manufacturers are attempting to reverse this trend by launching products that tout heart health benefits, given the economic climate they will have to work hard to convince consumers that these products are worth the money.

The World Health Organization estimated that 17.5 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2005 and that, if something is not done to reverse the trend, this figure will rise to 20.5 million by 2020. The signs are not positive, with Datamonitor predicting that nearly 40% of children in the UK will be overweight or obese by 2013.

Part of the problem is that many people globally underestimate the threat of heart disease. In a survey published by Harvard Health Publications, half of women correctly stated that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in women. However, only 13% categorized it as their greatest health risk. Instead, the majority cited breast cancer as their main concern, despite heart disease killing six times as many women every year.

In addition, in 2008, only a third of people in the UK told Datamonitor that they pay a 'high' or 'very high' amount of attention to their heart health, while worryingly, more than a quarter (29%) admitted that they only give it a 'low' or 'very low' amount of attention.

Functional food manufacturers are attempting to rectify this problem by creating products that tout heart benefits. This has resulted in a number of interesting products that claim to actively lower cholesterol or even burn calories. However, Brits remain skeptical about the credibility of such products, especially those which tout calorie-burning properties. When surveyed by Datamonitor, 45% considered these claims to be untrustworthy, compared to just 12% who said that they could be trusted.

Despite this, interest in 'heart healthy' products has seen an overall increase. Omega 3 has emerged as an ingredient that consumers are familiar with, and foods which claim to be low in saturated fats or low in cholesterol are increasingly popular. It is also encouraging that fewer people are smoking, as this acts as a significant risk factor.

Ensuring that our hearts are healthy in the future is a difficult task, and the signs are not all good. It is critical that consumers do not believe that simply consuming more heart healthy products will solve all their problems. Achieving good heart health is about lifestyle as well as diet, and we are spending less time exercising. There are positive signs that products are getting better for our hearts but, in difficult financial times, they need to do more to convince people that they are worth the money. What's more, people must start to take more of a long-term interest in their hearts before it is too late.