Algae as Functional Foods for the Elderly

Abstract

Older people may have more difficulties in acquiring the nutrients they need fromdiet and they are at greater risk of chronic diseases. Hence, functional foods based onalgae, might have a role in improving very important nutrients intake without an increasein calories. This is crucial for middle age people that become less active andwill not dispend as much energy as they use to, which will contribute for certain diseasesassociated with age. Algae produce a great variety of biological active compoundswhich cannot be found in other organisms. Moreover, they have been reportedfor their potential medicinal uses. Therefore, they have high potential as asource of functional ingredients. In this review, we will give relevant informationabout the issue, explain above, pointing out the information related to the compoundsthat could be responsible for the improvement in quality of life during elderly.It will be also referred that seaweeds can be a source of new compounds for drugdiscovery.