Foods can be regarded as functional if they help in reducing
the risk of disease and promote good health (Roberfroid,
2000). They may provide means to reduce the increasing burden
on the health care system. Although there is no authoritative
definition of functional lipids, one can informally define
them as a subset of functional foods, which are considered
to be similar in appearance to conventional foods consumed
as part of a usual diet, but they have been demonstrated to
have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic
disease beyond basic nutritional functions (Moreau, 2011).
The purpose of this review is to summarize the information
currently available on selected functional lipids.