Resumen

ZAMORA, Isabel  y  BARBOZA, Yasmina. Consumption of functional foods by Ecuadorian university students. An Venez Nutr [online]. 2020, vol.33, n.1, pp.14-23.  Epub 01-Abr-2021. ISSN 0798-0752.

Functional foods during the stage of university study is crucial to ensure an adequate intake of nutrients for this reason, the objective of this research was to determine the consumption of functional food in Ecuadorian students. The population frame was constituted by all the students of the first and tenth level of medical career period 2018-2019. The results show that the 51.1% of Ecuadorian surveyed students stated that always or almost always consume vegetables with bioactive compounds. When comparing their consumption between the first and the tenth level no significant differences (P> 0.05) were observed. The vegetable with the highest consumption was carrots, followed by broccoli and tomato- based products. The 78.2% of the students stated that always or almost always consume fruits. Among the fruits with the highest consumption is the apple (89.4) followed by red fruits, peaches and nectarines, mango, and kiwi. Apple consumption among first and tenth level students showed significant differences (P< 0.05). Only a small percentage of students reported consuming oilseeds as flaxseed and chía. Lentils, beans and chickpeas are the most commonly consumed legumes. Students almost never or never consume nuts. A high percentage (72.0%) student stated that they always consumed yogurt with probiotics. Most of students consume foods with functional properties due to its bioactive compounds such as phytochemicals, polyphenols, carotenoids and vitamins that can reduce the risk of major diseases.

Palabras clave : Functional foods; university students; phenolic compounds; antioxidants; fruit; vegetables; probiotic.

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