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•A new LC-QTOF-MS method for 4 PDE5Is was developed and validated.•49 food supplements for enhancing sexual performance were analyzed.•65% of samples contained PDE5Is and their ...structural analogs.•2 PDE5Is and 8 PDE5Is analogs were identified in food supplements.•Undeclared PDE5Is and their analogs in food supplements pose risks to human health.
This paper presents the development and validation of an analytical method using liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) suitable for screening and identifying suspect PDE5I analogs and quantifying four target PDE5Is in various food supplements. The method validation comprised of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, the limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), and evaluation of matrix effects. The method showed good linearity with coefficients of determination higher than 0.992 for all analytes. LODs and LOQs ranged from 0.2 to 2.2 ng/mL and 2 to 20 ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy and precision of the method were deemed satisfactory, with values ranging from 88.5 to 115.9 % for intra- and 86.9 to 111.2 % for inter-day experiments, and RSDs ranged from 0.4 to 4.5 % and 0.9 to 5.2 %, respectively. Out of 49 analyzed food supplements collected on the Croatian market, 65 % were not in compliance with EU regulations and pose possible risks to human health.
Lichens have great potential as food, functional food additives or flavourings. The presence of specific substances with multiple biological activities is one of the characteristics of lichens. ...However, research on lichens as a food source or functional food additive is limited. The present study simulated, for the first time, the potential bioaccessibility of active compounds from 6 lichen species in simulated gastric and intestinal conditions. An in vitro digestion showed that the lichen substances had different bioaccessibility and stability during digestion. It was found that the application of some metabolic modulators significantly altered the accumulation of metabolites in most species. In addition, the study demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of the tested extracts as well as of 14 isolated lichen metabolites. These multi-directional studies demonstrate the potential of lichens in terms of their use as antimicrobial functional food additives.
•H. physodes showed the highest content of lichen substances, reaching up to 15% DW•In vitro digestion revealed variable bioaccessibility and stability of compounds•Metabolic modulators may increase accumulation of lichen compounds•Lack of a common pattern of elicitor activity in different lichen species•Atranorin showed the highest antimicrobial activity
The lack of treatment options for COVID-19 has raised many concerns among populations worldwide, which has led to many attempts to find alternative options to prevent the transmission of the disease ...or to alleviate the progression of the infection, including focusing more on preventive measures (to prevent transmission to other individuals) and the use of natural products and herbal extracts to increase immunity and decrease the probability of getting infected. This study explored the knowledge of the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) about COVID-19 preventive measures and their belief about the consumption of herbal products for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. A total of 5,258 individuals participated in this study. Participants’ knowledge about the appropriate COVID-19 preventive measures in terms of handwashing procedures, self-quarantine and social distancing was moderate, with a mean score of 5.5 (SD: 1.7) out of 10 (representing around 55.0% of the total score). About 22.1% (n = 1,161) of the participants reported that they have used herbal products or nutritional supplements during the pandemic period, to protect themselves from the disease. Social media and the Internet (39.4%, n = 372) were the main motivators for the participants to try herbal products. Vitamin C was the most commonly used food supplement to increase immunity and reduces the chance of contracting COVID-19. Our study demonstrated that the general population in Saudi Arabia has a moderate level of knowledge about COVID-19 transmission and preventive measures. A considerable proportion of the population reported the use of herbal products or food supplements in order to protect themselves from the disease. Policymakers are suggested to provide further educational campaigns that increase population knowledge about the disease transmission routes and preventive measures. In addition, the use of herbal products should be evidence-based to ensure patient safety.
Many of the scientific and regulatory challenges that exist in research on the safety, quality and efficacy of dietary supplements are common to all countries as the marketplace for them becomes ...increasingly global. This article summarizes some of the challenges in supplement science and provides a case study of research at the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health, USA, along with some resources it has developed that are available to all scientists. It includes examples of some of the regulatory challenges faced and some resources for those who wish to learn more about them.
Introduction: Asthma is a common inflammatory disease of airway affecting both adults and children. In a large number of cases asthma remains poorly controlled. There is a need to find an additional ...therapeutic demeanour alleviating symptoms and lowering the risk complications in a long-term. Recently, increasing number of studies has been examining dietary supplements in regards to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-remodelling properties and their use in asthmatic patients. Aim of the Study: The aim of the study was to collect and analyse current literature regarding influence of different dietary supplements on the course of asthma in both adults and children. Methods and Materials: Extensive research was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar, with the primary focus on literature from the past 5 years. Firstly, potential dietary supplements affecting course of asthma were collected. The names of the substances were juxtaposed with term “Asthma” to gather data regarding their effect on occurrence and control of asthma and potential mechanisms responsible for it. Additionally, references from selected articles were included in the analysis. Results: Dietary supplements show promising results in decreasing asthma symptoms and lowering inflammation of airway. However, our study revealed that in current state of knowledge there is a deficit of studies performed on humans, especially large-scale, prospective studies that assess the efficacy of different doses of dietary supplements. Thus, further research of dietary supplements in asthma is needed, especially large-scale randomised controlled trials.
Current evidence shows that cholesterol management either reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or slows down its progression. Hence, it is important that all health professionals ...make appropriate use of all the available intervention strategies to control risk factors: from dietary improvement and positive lifestyle changes to the use of functional foods, food supplements, and drugs. This review examines the effect of the most frequently occurring cholesterol-lowering substances in functional foods or in supplements across Europe, namely plant sterols and stanols, monacolin K found in red yeast rice, berberine and beta-glucans. We conclude that currently available supplements and functional foods can effectively reduce plasma LDL cholesterol levels by about 5 to 25%, either alone or in combination. Suitable candidates for these products are mainly individuals at low absolute cardiovascular risk at a young age or according to classic algorithms. Of note, despite being freely available for purchase, these products should be used following shared agreement between the physician and the patient (“concordance”).
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human cortex. The food supplement version of GABA is widely available online. Although many consumers claim that they ...experience benefits from the use of these products, it is unclear whether these supplements confer benefits beyond a placebo effect. Currently, the mechanism of action behind these products is unknown. It has long been thought that GABA is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but the studies that have assessed this issue are often contradictory and range widely in their employed methods. Accordingly, future research needs to establish the effects of oral GABA administration on GABA levels in the human brain, for example using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. There is some evidence in favor of a calming effect of GABA food supplements, but most of this evidence was reported by researchers with a potential conflict of interest. We suggest that any veridical effects of GABA food supplements on brain and cognition might be exerted through BBB passage or, more indirectly, via an effect on the enteric nervous system. We conclude that the mechanism of action of GABA food supplements is far from clear, and that further work is needed to establish the behavioral effects of GABA.
In the last few years, the consumption of dietary supplements, especially those having plants as ingredients, has been increasing due to the common idea that they are natural products posing no risks ...to human health. In the European Union and the United States, dietary supplements are legally considered as foods/special category of foods, thus are not being submitted to any safety assessment prior to their commercialization. Among the issues that can affect safety, adulteration by the illegal addition of pharmaceutical substances or their analogs is of major concern since unscrupulous producers can falsify these products to provide for quick effects and to increase sales. This review discusses the various classes of synthetic drugs most frequently described as being illegally added to dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, muscle building/sport performance and sexual performance enhancement. Information regarding regulation and consumption is also presented. Finally, several conventional and advanced analytical techniques used to detect and identify different adulterants in dietary supplements and therefore also in foods, with particular emphasis on plant food supplements, are critically described. This review demonstrates that dietary supplement adulteration is an emerging food safety problem and that an effective control by food regulatory authorities is needed to safeguard consumers.
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