Blending medicine with cuisine: a new chapter in health

Long the bedrock of traditional Chinese medicine, the "medicine and food homology" principle has long dictated health-conscious eating. Yet, in the face of modernization and the blending of global health trends, there's an urgent call to innovate upon these historical guidelines. The complex interplay of evolving consumer attitudes, groundbreaking science, and shifting lifestyles poses challenges that demand a deeper dive into how this age-old philosophy can be modernized for today's world.

Academics from the National R&D Center for Edible Fungus Processing Technology and the University of Auckland present a comprehensive review (DOI: 10.26599/FMH.2024.9420014) in the Food & Medicine Homology journal, published on 25 July 2024. This scholarly work provides an in-depth review of how the age-old concept of medicine and food homology is being revolutionized to fit contemporary lifestyles and health needs.

The study illuminates the transition of "medicine and food homology" from a traditional framework to a modern health strategy. With meticulous attention to historical development and current trends, it showcases the COVID-19 pandemic's significant role in accelerating this shift. The research provides a critical view of how this transformation affects food processing, dietary habits, consumer perceptions, and life choices, advocating for a comprehensive health approach that blends ancient insights with modern imperatives. The study's in-depth analysis strongly advocates for the modernization and globalization of the food-medicine homology theory, charting a course for future exploration and advancement in this field.

Professor Wen-Yi Kang (the corresponding author) and Professor Dong-Xiao Sun-Waterhouse (the first author) underscore the importance of integrating traditional wisdom with contemporary healthcare, "Our review is designed to showcase the potential of integrating ancient dietary practices with modern living, enhancing health and preventing diseases through the strategic use of food as medicine."

The study's findings have profound implications for the future of healthcare, signaling a move towards personalized nutrition and proactive health management. The potential integration of medicine-food dual-use substances into mainstream healthcare could instigate a fundamental change in disease prevention and treatment. This research points towards an integrated, sustainable approach to wellness, aligning with the growing consumer preference for holistic health solutions.

About the Authors

Professor Dong-Xiao Sun-Waterhouse (the first author), The New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology, New Zealand

Professor Dong-Xiao Sun-Waterhouse has experience in not only on-farm research to improve the properties of foods like fruits, vegetables, grains or raw milk, but also post-farm studies on food processing and development. Areas of expertise include functional/wellness foods and personalized diets for optimizing human physical, mental and emotional wellness as well as body functional performance. In 2016, she received an award for outstanding contribution by the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in Denmark. In 2018, she received the 2018 NZIFST “Leadership in the Food Industry” Award in New Zealand. In 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, she was named in the Stanford University's list of Top 2% scientists in the world.

Professor Wen-Yi Kang (the corresponding author), National R&D Center for Edible Fungus Processing Technology, China

Prof. Wenyi Kang’s research field is the biological effect of food and medicine homology. He already obtains 40 projects including National Key R&D Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation, Department of Key Research Projects in Henan Province and Key R&D Program. Participated in the formulation of 9 national standards. More than 400 research papers have been published in esteemed international journals including Carbohydrate Polymers, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules and Food Chemistry.

About Food & Medicine Homology

Food & Medicine Homology is a peer-reviewed, cross-disciplinary, open access journal dedicated to cutting-edge research integrating findings in food science and medicine. The journal publishes papers dealing with plants, animals and microorganisms, reporting the food resources and base materials with nutritional and medicinal values and health-promoting effects that are discovered and confirmed using modern scientific theories and technologies, and providing insights into their health-promoting functions, underlying molecular mechanisms of action and regulatory modes.