Your Health: The News That Matters Now

GOOD HEALTH NEWS TRAVELS FAST: Five years ago, you probably didn't have any idea what an antioxidant was. Now you know to seek them out in both skin-care products and foods — and your body's the better for it. So we went to top medical, diet, and fitness experts to get an early look at the health ideas and buzzwords that will define the year ahead. Here are the 2008 trends you can't afford to miss.

1. SUPERFOODS

Plain old food seems plain old-fashioned as more and more products are getting a health boost with new added ingredients. Now you can eat cookies and tortilla chips that lower cholesterol, fry up an egg to ward off depression, or pop a can of soda to get your vitamins and minerals — or so marketers claim. Retail sales of these "functional foods" now top $26 billion a year and are projected to climb to over $36 billion by 2010, according to a new research report.

You'll see a huge boom in foods containing omega-3s, for example, predicts Tim Straus of The Turover Straus group, a consulting firm in Glencoe, IL, that specializes in the food and beverage industry. These heart-healthy fatty acids are found naturally in oily fish, like wild salmon and herring, flax, and nuts. Since 2006, omega-3s have been added to more than 250 products — an increase of over 90 percent from 2005.

You can also expect to see more foods fortified with probiotics — healthy bacteria believed to improve your digestion and boost immunity. Sales of the probiotic yogurt Activia have soared in the United States since it hit stores in January 2006.

There's even a female-focused subtrend of the superfoods craze: According to the market research firm Mintel, since 2004, manufacturers have launched more than 140 new foods and drinks brimming with nutrients women need, such as folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

What's behind the explosion in superfoods? In a word — you. A recent International Food Information Council Foundation survey found that 75 percent of consumers believe nutrition plays the greatest role in maintaining or improving health, and 85 percent feel certain foods have health benefits that reduce the risk of some diseases.

Nutritionists are generally in favor of superfoods since these products make it easy for consumers to act on the latest health news. But these great ideas don't come cheap, so if you're going to shell out extra for them, use your personal health needs as a guide. If you've got a family history of cancer, go for foods enriched with antioxidants. If you're at risk for heart disease, look for foods that lower cholesterol, such as those with whole grains, omega-3s, and plant sterols. But don't expect these foods to work health miracles. "Ultimately, nothing can replace a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and fish high in omega-3s," notes nutritionist Clare Hasler, Ph.D.