Cholesterol

However, with obesity now the second biggest preventable killer disease after smoking, nutritionists are questioning whether the European Union's food research investment of 1.9 billion (£1.3bn) would be better spent on basic healthy eating education rather than on bio-technology and nutrigenomics.

advertisement Functional foods - foods perceived to have an added nutritional value - were worth £1.1bn by the end of 2005, having grown 143% since 2000.

Dairy products such as spreads, yoghurts and probiotic drinks make up 45% of the sector, with Danone's Actimel the number one brand.

Their growth has sparked a move to develop further links between medical science and diet.

Professor Charles Daly from the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork predicts by 2030 scientists will have a full understanding of our 25,000 genes and, through genetic sequencing, will be able to confirm specific dietary requirements.

"We can take a prevention rather than a treatment strategy," said Daly, "There is clearly an enhanced role for food in ensuring a better quality of life and a role for diet in preventing these dise...

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