FOOD4STROKE

16 DEC

FOOD4STROKE

A commitment to food with a neuroprotective effect

The TECNALIA research and technological development centre is collaborating with ECONATUR and other agri-food companies to obtain ingredients with a neuroprotective effect from raw materials from the sector

In a society characterised by a growing ageing population, one of the challenges is to tackle chronic diseases, such as vascular diseases that can cause strokes or neurodegenerative diseases. One of the keys to combating them is proper nutrition, and the TECNALIA research and technological development centre is working along these lines as part of the Food4stroke initiative, together with other research bodies and seven companies from the agri-food sector, including ECONATUR.

The aim of the project is to develop food and food supplements that improve the quality of life and health of consumers through personalised nutrition. The population today is tending towards more responsible food consumption, assuming that a balanced diet is not only for nutrition and sustenance, but that food plays a key role in people’s quality of life.

Food4stroke and the food of the future
The Food4stroke initiative will focus on selecting raw materials from the agri-food industry that can be sources of phytochemicals and other compounds with potential neuroprotective activity. In addition, it will optimise sustainable agricultural management techniques so that the composition of phytochemicals with neuroprotective potential in selected raw materials can be naturally increased.

The work of the companies involved in this project will also involve validating the neuroprotective activity of the ingredients developed through clinical trials in patients at high risk of stroke and, in addition, they will develop new foods and food supplements based on the ingredients with a proven neuroprotective effect obtained, whose impact could be relevant for the prevention of diseases with a high incidence in society, such as stroke.

One of the major innovations of Food4stroke is that combinations of extracts from different raw materials selected for their potential (olive, subtropical, aloe vera) and other compounds of interest (prebiotics, probiotics, minerals, fibre, nutrient-rich concentrate) will be explored, looking for synergistic effects on the neuroprotective effect not previously explored.

Foosd4Stroke is a European initiative with the participation of TECNALIA together with other research organisations such as FISEVI-IBIS, IBVF and CSIC. In addition, seven companies from the agri-food sector are involved, as well as one company from the health sector: Indukern, S.A, as project leader, Acer Campestres S.L, Cosmos Aromática Internacional S.A, Dcoop Sociedad Cooperativa Andaluza, Grupo Empresarial La Caña, S.L., Go Fruselva S.L, HT Médica and ECONATUR.