The role of diet in disease prevention and treatment is being recognized increasingly, although traditionally food products have been developed for taste, appearance, value, and convenience to the consumer. This has motivated the food industry and companies involved in formulating health foods into new areas of research, such as health risk, risk benefit analysis, evaluation of efficacy and toxicity, and health regulations . Regulations governing the nutrient content of food and health protection within legislation have often been viewed as barriers to product development and economic growth . According to Rowland , food regulations have generally been viewed negatively by many consumers, suggesting that government legislation is detrimental to the pursuit of appropriate food choices for health. The health agencies, on the other hand, insist that newly developed food products should have the well-determined active component(s) in the natural product evaluated for effectiveness in human trials. Such quality-control measures are essential for both consumers and product developers  .

         The fitness movement, through "high-teach" measures and technology, and the use of drugs in sports have affected people of all ages. Fortunately enough, "aging" has become a better accepted phenomenon and the long search for perpetual youth seems to have peaked. A healthy image and the notion of being responsible for one's own health is rather refreshing. However, food and diet are being either blamed or credited for nearly everything, which seems to be forcing unwise decisions on naive and gullible consumers. Although what one eats does affect how one feels and thus constitutes an integral part of health, food and diet are not likely to provide cure-alls for every health problem. An appropriate and prudent diet will allow people to live up to their genetic potential, helping them maintain healthy