[Functional nutriments in diet]

Functional nutriments contribute to improve one's health or to reduce the risk of suffering diseases, but they are not cures by themselves. They are not indispensable in the balanced diet of a healthy person, who already ingests all the nutrients which are needed. These may supplement the needs of some nutriments under special circumstances, but some of the substances considered beneficial can be prejudicial if taken in excess. The authors analyze the most common of these functional nutriments and they evaluate their advantages and inconveniences; furthermore, the authors analyze those cases in which the use of these nutriments is deemed adequate.