Functional food as medicine. International conference at YSU

The scientific conference held for the first time in Armenia was organized in a hybrid format. It had 126 participants from over 50 countries and another 5,500 online listeners. In total, 140 reports were presented at the conference.

Conference participants discussed the effectiveness of functional food, which is natural or processed food and contains biologically active compounds. These compounds provide clinically proven and documented health benefits using specific biomarkers to promote improved health and reduce the risk of chronic and viral diseases.

Associate Professor of YSU Chair of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Ph.D. Anna Poladyan valued the role of such events in the internationalization of the university.

"Holding such events with the participation of representatives of international institutions enjoying great reputations allows employees and students to create new partnerships at the university," said A. Poladian.

During the conference, scientists with narrow specialization in various branches of the field presented their research and the results obtained from them, as well as listened to the opinion of the scientific community on the given issue.

Referring to the interdisciplinary significance of the topic of the conference, YSU Faculty of Biology researcher, Ph.D. Naira Sahakyan stated that this topic is of interest not only to biologists but also to specialists in the field of medicine and food production. Speaking about the report she presented at the conference, Sahakyan noted that it was dedicated to the effect of metabolites isolated from medicinal plants growing in the Armenian flora in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases.

Referring to the thematic coverage of her research, N. Sahakyan mentioned, "For studies, we mainly choose plants that are widely used and can become waste (for example, the leaves of various berries). Research results show that they contain a large amount of biologically active compounds that can be used to treat metabolic disorders (diabetes, cancer-related changes and abnormalities, antibiotic resistance, etc.)."

Since serious steps are being taken in Armenia to achieve success in the field of science, and the interest in science is growing day by day, the US Functional Food Center, represented by the Armenian President, Danik Martirosyan, has decided to hold the scientific conference in Armenia this year.

Referring to the motives for organizing the conference, D. Martirosyan said, "During this conference dedicated to revealing the features of functional food, it was reaffirmed that functional food is one of the keys to longevity. Biologists are creating food that will have pharmacological significance and equivalent effects, but will not be a medicine."

The participant of the conference, Brazilian researcher Mariam Adegboyega, whose study was about the possibility of using healthy ingredients in food as medicine, emphasized that the topic under discussion is extremely important. She emphasized that the conference was also very significant for her research because the topics, discussions, and proposed solutions to problems in the field will enable her to conduct more thorough research.

It should be noted that the conference was organized by the joint efforts of Yerevan State University, RA National Academy of Sciences, and the Functional Food Center of USA.