Sponsored By: National Dairy Council 

This activity was originally presented at NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE.

More and more, scientific evidence is revealing that the food matrix – the interaction between the nutrients, bioactive components, and physical structure of a food - can impact health in significant and unexpected ways beyond its individual nutrients. This evolution in the understanding of nutrition research is arising as key authoritative agencies reevaluate the definition of healthy foods and dietary patterns. This program will explore the emerging research surrounding the relationship between the food matrix and health, with a particular focus on the dairy food matrix and its bioactive components. In particular, the complex role of the food matrix on physiologic health markers, such as cardiometabolic disease risk, inflammation, immunity and the gut microbiome will be discussed. To conclude, gaps in knowledge needed to improve scientific understanding of the complex and synergistic health effects of the food matrix and the current generalizations defining a healthy food will be critically evaluated.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the concept of the food matrix and provide examples of the food matrix’s unexpected impact on nutrient bioavailability & health outcomes (i.e., carrot & almond matrix)
• Discuss emerging evidence that has reported matrix-specific health effects of dairy products and plausible biological mechanisms via bioactive constituents that impact health
• Evaluate knowledge gaps surrounding the emerging concept of the food matrix as well as potential implications of the new FDA Healthy claim on different foods and food groups