Abstract
A search was made for functional food factors that prevent or improve lifestyle-related diseases resulting from disorders of lipid metabolism. We established assay systems utilizing molecular cell biological methods for evaluating food factors that are capable of affecting the activities and functions of bio-functional molecules involved in lipid metabolism. Several types of nuclear receptors, transcription factors, and receptors considered to be bio-functional molecules were examined using our own food chemical library composed of commercially available chemical compounds derived from foods. These assays allowed us to establish a clear link between functional food factors and bio-functional molecules. This review illustrates the functions of the food factors found in these assays in a comprehensible way.
