Functional plant-based foods (such as fruits, vegetables, and berries) can improve health, have a preventive effect, and diminish the risk of different chronic diseases during in vivo and in vitro ...studies. Berries contain many phytochemicals, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. The primary phytochemicals in berry fruits are phenolic compounds including flavonoids (anthocyanins, flavonols, flavones, flavanols, flavanones, and isoflavonoids), tannins, and phenolic acids. Since berries have a high concentration of polyphenols, it is possible to use them for treating various diseases pharmacologically by acting on oxidative stress and inflammation, which are often the leading causes of diabetes, neurological, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This review examines commonly consumed berries: blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, black raspberries, and strawberries and their polyphenols as potential medicinal foods (due to the presence of pharmacologically active compounds) in the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and other diseases. Moreover, much attention is paid to the bioavailability of active berry components. Hence, this comprehensive review shows that berries and their bioactive compounds possess medicinal properties and have therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, future clinical trials are required to study and improve the bioavailability of berries' phenolic compounds and extend the evidence that the active compounds of berries can be used as medicinal foods against various diseases.
Black garlic (BG) is a form of aged garlic obtained from raw garlic (Allium sativum) via Millard reaction under high temperature (60–90 °C) and humidity (70–90%) for a period of time. Several studies ...reported higher contents of water-soluble antioxidants compounds (S-allyl cysteine, S-allyl-mercapto cysteine), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, organosulfur compounds, polyphenol, volatile compounds, and products of other Millard reactions compared to fresh garlic after the thermal processing. Recent studies have demonstrated that BG and its bioactive compounds possess a wide range of biological activities and pharmacological properties that preserve and show better efficacy in preventing different types of diseases. Most of these benefits can be attributed to its anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, hepatoprotection, hypolipidemia, anti-cancer, anti-allergy, immunomodulation, nephroprotection, cardiovascular protection, and neuroprotection. Substantial studies have been conducted on BG and its components against different common human diseases in the last few decades. Still, a lot of research is ongoing to find out the therapeutic effects of BG. Thus, in this review, we summarized the pre-clinical and clinical studies of BG and its bioactive compounds on human health along with diverse bioactivity, a related mode of action, and also future challenges.
Polyphenols are classified as an organic chemical with phenolic units that display an array of biological functions. However, polyphenols have very low bioavailability and stability, which make ...polyphenols a less bioactive compound. Many researchers have indicated that several factors might affect the efficiency and the metabolism (biotransformation) of various polyphenols, which include the gut microbiota, structure, and physical properties as well as its interactions with other dietary nutrients (macromolecules). Hence, this mini-review covers the two-way interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota (interplay) and how polyphenols are metabolized (biotransformation) to produce various polyphenolic metabolites. Moreover, the protective effects of numerous polyphenols and their metabolites against various gastrointestinal disorders/diseases including gastritis, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like celiac disease (CED) are discussed. For this review, the authors chose only a few popular polyphenols (green tea polyphenol, curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin), and a discussion of their proposed mechanism underpinning the gastroprotection was elaborated with a special focus on clinical evidence. Overall, this contribution would help the general population and science community to identify a potent polyphenol with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, prebiotic, and immunomodulatory properties to combat various gut-related diseases or disorders (complementary therapy) along with modified lifestyle pattern and standard gastroprotective drugs. However, the data from clinical trials are much limited and hence many large-scale clinical trials should be performed (with different form/metabolites and dose) to confirm the gastroprotective activity of the above-mentioned polyphenols and their metabolites before recommendation.
Electrolyzed water (EW) is a new type of cleaning and disinfecting agent obtained by means of electrolysis with a dilute sodium chloride solution. It has low cost and harm to the human body and is ...also friendly to the environment. The anode produces acidic electrolyzed water (AEW), which is mainly used to inhibit bacterial growth and disinfect. The cathode provides basic electrolyzed water (BEW), which is implemented to promote human health. EW is a powerful multifunctional antibacterial agent with a wide range of applications in the medicine, agriculture, and food industry. Studies in vitro and in vivo show that it has an inhibitory effect on pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Therefore, EW is used to prevent chronic diseases, while it has been found to be effective against various kinds of infectious viruses. Animal experiments and clinical trials clearly showed that it accelerates wound healing, and has positive effects in oral health care, anti-obesity, lowering blood sugar, anti-cancer and anti-infectious viral diseases. This review article summarizes the application of EW in treating bacteria and viruses, the prevention of chronic diseases, and health promotion.
Phytochemicals are plant secondary metabolites that show health benefits for humans due to their bioactivity. There is a huge variety of phytochemicals that have already been identified, and these ...compounds can act as antimicrobial and neuroprotection agents. Due to their anti-microbial activity and neuroprotection, several phytochemicals might have the potency to be used as natural therapeutic agents, especially for Helicobacter pylori infection and neurodegenerative disease, which have become a global health concern nowadays. According to previous research, there are some connections between H. pylori infection and neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, this comprehensive review examines different kinds of phytochemicals from natural sources as potential therapeutic agents to reduce H. pylori infection and improve neurodegenerative disease. An additional large-scale study is needed to establish the connection between H. pylori infection and neurodegenerative disease and how phytochemicals could improve this condition.
Long-term postprandial hyperglycemia is a primary risk factor for developing chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Chronic hyperglycemia induces the ...glycation of proteins, oxidative stress, inflammation and increases plasma insulin and lipid concentrations. Insulin resistance is the primary cause of postprandial excursions of blood glucose and lipids. Hyperglycemia can be treated by lowering dietary carbohydrates intake, digestion, and absorption. Various functional foods improve glucose metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity and inhibiting α-glucosidase in the small intestine. Natural phytochemicals, especially active phenolics are good antioxidants and show anti-inflammatory action and regulate blood glucose. This review aimed to report on hypoglycemic properties of active phenolics from functional foods and their proposed anti-diabetic mechanisms. Nevertheless, further clinical trials are required to confirm the bioavailability, safety, and efficacy of phenolics, especially the dosage and duration of treatment, to avoid adverse effects and give better dietary recommendations.
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•This review focused on the anti-diabetic activity of major functional foods and herbs.•The underlying anti-diabetic mechanism are well elaborated.•Functional food/herbs could improve ...glycemic control and abolish DM-related complications.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its related complications are the serious public health concern globally. This is the first review highlight on major functional foods and herbs with anti-diabetic activity particularly focus on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with special reference to clinical trials and their proposed anti-diabetic mechanisms. This contribution summarizes the current prevalence of DM, etiology and pathophysiology, complications related to DM, current conventional treatment regimen for T2DM as well as complimentary therapy for anti-DM activity (functional foods/herbs-nutraceuticals). Based on the literature survey, authors conclude that co-intervention of functional food/herbs (adjuvant therapy) with a conventional hypoglycemic drug with modified lifestyle pattern could significantly improve glycemic control and abolish DM associated complications. Nevertheless, further clinical trials are required to confirm the safety and efficacy of different functional food/herbs with the conventional hypoglycemic drug (holistic) especially the dosage/duration/mode of administration are crucial to avoid adverse effect and to improve glycemic control.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the botanical product market saw a consumer interest increase in immune health supplements. While data are currently insufficient to support public health guidance for ...using foods and dietary supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19 and other immune disorders, consumer surveys indicate that immune support is the second-most cited reason for supplement use in the United States. Meanwhile, consumers showed increased attention to dietary supplement ingredient labels, especially concerning authenticity and ingredient claims. Top-selling botanical ingredients such as elderberry, turmeric, and functional mushrooms have been increasingly marketed toward consumers to promote immune health, but these popular products succumb to adulteration with inaccurate labeling due to the intentional or unintentional addition of lower grade ingredients, non-target plants, and synthetic compounds, partially due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. This review highlights the regulatory requirements and recommendations for analytical approaches, including chromatography, spectroscopy, and DNA approaches for ingredient claim verification. Demonstrating elderberry, turmeric, and functional mushrooms as examples, this review aims to provide industrial professionals and scientists an overview of current United States regulations, testing approaches, and trends for label compliance verification to ensure the safety of botanical products marketed for "immune health."
Port State Control (PSC) ensures that foreign ships do not sail until they can proceed at sea without posing a danger to maritime safety and environment. Since 2011, a New Inspection Regime (NIR) has ...been implemented by the PSC of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) member countries to identify potential substandard ships and increase the effectiveness of inspections. The NIR process and whether the target factors in the NIR can effectively reduce risks at sea are worth exploring. We take the Tokyo MoU as an example and retrieve 125,259 cases from 2015 to 2017 using computer programing. Based on the big data, we adopt a binary logistic regression to analyze detention decisions, which we then supplement by applying a decision tree to conduct a multi-factor decision-making analysis. The ships' characteristics such as age, type, deadweight, number of deficiencies, and others, namely, port State, performances of flag State, and recognized organization, may also shed light on the risks associated with detentions. Based on the empirical results, we derive three conclusions. First, the following factors are essential: ship age, ship type, performance of flag States, and the number of deficiencies that NIR considers significant. Second, ships older than 6 years seem more likely to be substandard. If a ship has five or more deficiencies, the probability that it will be detained is high. Third, discrepancies exist when carrying out the PSC among port States in the Tokyo MoU.
•Evaluating the effectiveness of the target factors in the NIR for PSC.•Analyzing the detention risks of ships based on 125,259 cases of Tokyo MoU.•Giving policy implications on improving the NIR for Tokyo MoU.
The aim of this study was to develop wheat noodles substituted with 10-40% RD43 rice flour. Starch digestibility and physicochemical and sensory properties of RD43 rice noodles and its effect on ...glycemic response, gut hormones, and appetite sensation in humans were also determined. The results demonstrated that the substitution of 10-40% RD43 rice flour reduced starch digestibility, the hydrolysis index, and rapidly digestible starch (RDS), while increasing undigestible starch in noodles. Noodles prepared with 30% RD43 rice flour slightly increased water absorption (WA), and the swelling index (SI) without altering cooking loss. When compared with the control, 30% RD43 rice showed higher lightness (L*) and lower redness (a*), yellowness (b*) and hardness with similar overall acceptability. In human studies, ingestion of 30% RD43 rice noodles significantly lowered postprandial plasma glucose at 15-90 min. Interestingly, the postprandial concentration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY) also significantly increased at 30 min after the intake of 30% RD43 rice noodles. A significantly lower desire to eat and higher fullness were detected after 30% RD43 rice noodle consumption until 120 min. This suggests that RD43 rice flour could be a potential ingredient in noodles for controlling the glycemic response, short-acting satiety hormones, and appetite sensation.
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