FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND WOMEN'S HIGH CHOLESTEROL

Abstract

<p>Food and the various aspects surrounding what we eat, what we <em>should</em> eat, and concerns about how to remain healthy and ward off disease and illness is escalating while our choices are endless. In this competitive food market a new type has emerged: the functional food. Functional foods are those that have an added health benefit beyond the basic nutritional content and display physiological benefits in reducing chronic diseases. A popular category of functional foods are those that purport to lower one's cholesterol. In particular, high cholesterol is marketed as a "disease" rather than a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease. Little is known about the sociological diagnosis of high cholesterol and the marketing of functional foods, in particular with women. This dissertation address this gap by asking: (1) How is high cholesterol (HC) identified and marketed as a disease rather than a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in functional food advertising - specifically addressing the Becel® pro.activ® margarine campaign? (2) How do women understand the issue and <em>causes </em>of high cholesterol; and (3) What do women understand the <em>solution </em>to high cholesterol to be and how do they view Becel's^® high cholesterol solution? --The findings center on 4 key issues: <ol> <li>The construction and marketing of high cholesterol <em>as a disease</em> (i.e. via the sociology of diagnosis), rather than a risk factor for heart disease;</li> <li>The causes of high cholesterol and attribution of blame are placed on women's poor lifestyle choices and seen as an individual responsibility;</li> <li>There are class differences regarding women's knowledge and awareness of the social determinants of health (SDOH); and</li> <li>The solution to high cholesterol is individualized via the 'proactive myopia' repertoire.</li> </ol></p>