Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2016 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 6 Articles
Among the new entries in the food supplements sector, an important place must be assigned\nto nutraceuticals containing microalgae, nowadays accounting for a large and rapidly expanding\nmarket. The marketed products are mainly based on three production strains, i.e., Spirulina and\nChlorella, followed at a distance by Klamath. It is a composite situation, since two of them are\ncyanobacteria and the second one is eukaryotic. The reality is that each presents similarities in\nshape and appearance concerning the marketed form and several utilizations, and peculiarities\nthat need special attention and adequate studies. First, general information is reported about the\ncurrent scientific knowledge on each microalga, in particular the nutritional value and properties\nin prevention and wellbeing. Second, original studies are presented concerning the quality control\nof marketed products. Quality control is a key argument in nutraceuticals validation. Microalgae\nare particular organisms that need specific approaches to confirm identity and validate properties.\nThe proposed control of quality is based on microscopic analysis of the morphologic characteristics.\nThe final parts of this paper are dedicated to the need for specificity in uses and claims and to\nconsiderations about the future of microalgae in food supplements....
Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the nutraceutical properties of table green olives Nocellara del\nBelice, a traditional Mediterranean food. The Mediterranean Diet has as key elements olives and extra virgin olive oil,\ncommon to all Mediterranean countries. Olive oil is the main source of fat and can modulate oxidative stress and\ninflammation, whereas little is known about the role of olives. Moreover, emerging evidences underline the association\nbetween gut microbiota and food as the basis of many phenomena that affect health and delay or avoid the onset of\nsome age-related chronic diseases.\nMethods: In order to show if table green olives have nutraceutical properties and/or probiotic effect, we performed a\nnutritional intervention, administering to 25 healthy subjects (mean age 38,3), 12 table green olives/day for 30 days. We\ncarried out anthropometric, biochemical, oxidative stress and cytokines analyses at the beginning of the study and at\nthe end. Moreover, we also collected fecal samples to investigate about the possible variation of concentration of\nLactobacilli, after the olives consumption.\nResult: Our results showed a significant variation of one molecule related to oxidative stress, malondialdehyde,\nconfirming that Nocellara del Belice green olives could have an anti-oxidant effect. In addition, the level of interleukin-6\ndecreased significantly, demonstrating how this food could be able to modulate the inflammatory response. Moreover,\nit is noteworthy the reduction of fat mass with an increase of muscle mass, suggesting a possible effect on long time\nassumption of table olives on body mass variation. No statistically significant differences were observed in the amount\nof Lactobacilli, although a trend towards an increased concentration of them at the end of the intervention could be\nrelated to the nutraceutical effects of olives.\nConclusion: These preliminary results suggest a possible nutraceutical effect of daily consumption of green table olives\nNocellara del Belice. To best of our knowledge, this is the first study performed to assess nutraceutical properties of this\nfood. Of course, it is necessary to verify the data in a larger sample of individuals to confirm their role as nutraceuticals....
Benefits to health from a high consumption of fruits and vegetables are well established\nand have been attributed to bioactive secondary metabolites present in edible plants. However,\nthe effects of specific health-related phytochemicals within a complex food matrix are difficult to\nassess. In an attempt to address this problem, we have used elicitation to improve the nutraceutical\ncontent of seedlings of Brassica oleracea grown under controlled conditions. Analysis, by LC-MS, of\nthe glucosinolate, isothiocyanate and phenolic compound content of juices obtained from sprouts\nindicated that elicitation induces an enrichment of several phenolics, particularly of the anthocyanin\nfraction. To test the biological activity of basal and enriched juices we took advantage of a recently\ndeveloped in vitro model of inflamed human intestinal epithelium. Both sproutsâ�� juices protected\nintestinal barrier integrity in Caco-2 cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor �± under marginal zinc\ndeprivation, with the enriched juice showing higher protection. Multivariate regression analysis\nindicated that the extent of rescue from stress-induced epithelial dysfunction correlated with the\ncomposition in bioactive molecules of the juices and, in particular, with a group of phenolic\ncompounds, including several anthocyanins, quercetin-3-Glc, cryptochlorogenic, neochlorogenic and\ncinnamic acids....
Cardiovascular disease remains the most common health problem in developed countries,\nand residual risk after implementing all current therapies is still high. Permanent changes in lifestyle\nmay be hard to achieve and people may not always be motivated enough to make the recommended\nmodifications. Emerging research has explored the application of natural food-based strategies in\ndisease management. In recent years, much focus has been placed on the beneficial effects of fish\nconsumption. Many of the positive effects of fish consumption on dyslipidemia and heart diseases\nhave been attributed to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs, i.e., EPA and DHA); however,\nfish is also an excellent source of protein and, recently, fish protein hydrolysates containing bioactive\npeptides have shown promising activities for the prevention/management of cardiovascular disease\nand associated health complications. The present review will focus on n-3 PUFAs and bioactive\npeptides effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Moreover, since considerable controversy\nexists regarding the association between n-3 PUFAs and major cardiovascular endpoints, we have\nalso reviewed the main clinical trials supporting or not this association....
Abstract\nBackground: Chronic hyperglycemia enhances the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and\nreactive oxygen species (ROS), contributing to diabetic complications. Thus, controlling blood glucose levels,\ninhibiting the formation of AGEs and reducing ROS are key therapeutic targets in early stage type 2 diabetes.\nMethods: The inhibitory effects of seven commercial liquid nutritional supplements against carbohydrate\nhydrolysing enzymes, Ã?±-amylase and Ã?±-glucosidase, was determined by dinitrosalicylic (DNS) reagent and\np-nitrophenyl-Ã?±-D-glucopyranoside solution, respectively. Antiglycation activity was determined using the\nformation of fluorescent protein-bound AGEs. Total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant properties\n(1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl antioxidant activity (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)) were\ndetermined for correlation among these components and inhibitory activities.\nResults: Samoan noni juice showed the greatest inhibitory effects against Ã?±-amylase, whereas chlorophyll\nextracts showed the greatest inhibitory effect against Ã?±-glucosidase. Inhibition of Ã?±-glucosidase correlated\nwith TFC (r2 = 0.766; p < 0.01) and FRAP (r2 = 0.750; p < 0.01) whereas no correlation was observed for Ã?±-amylase\ninhibition. All supplements inhibited fluorescent protein-bound AGEs, with the greatest effect exerted by Olive\nLeaf Extract, Blood Sugar Support (IC50 = 0.5 mg/ml). The IC50 values negatively correlated with TPC (r2 = âË?â??0.707;\np < 0.001) and DPPH scavenging activities (r2 = 0.515; p < 0.05).\nConclusion: The findings of this study highlight the potential of liquid nutritional supplements in managing and\ntreating type 2 diabetes mellitus....
The interest in phytochemicals found in plant foods as bioactive components of the diet has expanded\nin the last few years. This is because they have been linked with the prevention or reduced progression\nof many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and degenerative diseases.\nOxidative stress, which could bring about oxidative damage to DNA, protein and lipids has been found\nto be a major factor in the aetiology of these diseases. Epidemiological evidence shows that observed\nhealth benefits of these plant foods on humans, especially fruits and vegetables, are due to the\npresence of bioactive phytochemicals which today, play an important role in pharmaceutical\napplications. Research shows that these compounds modulate the risk of chronic disease development\nby inhibiting reactions mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Consequently, strong\nrecommendations for their ingestion through the diet have become increasingly popular to improve\nman�s health. This article presents a review of the role of nutraceuticals, functional foods and value\nadded food products in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. We also summarized the\nbiotechnological approaches for enhancing the level of these bioactive compounds in plants, with a\nview to improve their nutraceutical value and phytotherapy efficiency....
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