Health benefits

The development of high fmctose com symp (HECS) may provide another health benefit attributable to cereal grains (see Syrups). These symps are being used to an ever-increasing extent by the food industry. Shortly after HECS came on the market, a dramatic increase in the price of sucrose acted as a spur to the production of the high fmctose symps. 

There is a health benefit associated with hindering hydrogen bonding. Alkylphenols as a class are generally regarded as corrosive health hazards, but this corrosivity is eliminated when the hydroxyl group is flanked by bulky substituents in the ortho positions. In fact, hindered phenols as a class of compounds are utilized as antioxidants in plastics with FDA approval for indirect food contact. 

The understanding of these actions of aspirin started in 1971 (45) and resulted in the recommendations of the medical community that small doses of aspirin, used under the care of the doctor, may be a prevention measure for heart attack, and stroke for those considered at risk in the population. Further reported work may expand health benefits to prevention of certain kinds of cancer (46). 

Green tea, consumed hot or cold, is most common in Japan and China and is growing rapidly in the United States owing to the numerous reports of health benefits. The market has doubled from about 110 metric tons in 1993 to just over 227 t in 1996. Green tea consumption in the United States remains a small segment (less than 2%) of the total tea market. 

Physiological functions as well as clinical symptoms that occur in humans deficient in specific vitamins are given in Table 6. It is becoming more authenticated that vitamins have additional potential health benefits when adrninistered, via the diet or by supplementation, at levels above those required for obviating deficiency. Although for most vitamins the optimal levels are not yet estabUshed, some of the potential health benefits to be derived from vitamins are indicated (16). In one case, the level of scientific proof is such that the U.S. FDA has allowed "a health cl aim that women who are capable of... 

Table 6. Vitamin Functions, Clinical Deficiency Symptoms, and Potential Health Benefits...

Along with increasing evidence of health benefits from consumption of vitamins at levels much higher than RE) A recommendations comes concern over potential toxicity. This topic has been reviewed (19). Like all chemical substances, a toxic level does exist for each vitarnin. Traditionally it has been assumed that all water-soluble vitamins are safe at any level of intake and all fat-soluble vitamins are toxic, especially at intakes more than 10 times the recommended allowances. These assumptions are now known to be incorrect. Very high doses of some water-soluble vitamins, especially niacin and vitamin B, are associated with adverse effects. In contrast, evidence indicates that some fat-soluble micronutrients, especially vitamin E, are safe at doses many times higher than recommended levels of intake. Chronic intakes above the RDA for vitamins A and D especially are to be avoided, however. 

Fiber components are the principal energy source for colonic bacteria with a further contribution from digestive tract mucosal polysaccharides. Rate of fermentation varies with the chemical nature of the fiber components. Short-chain fatty acids generated by bacterial action are partiaUy absorbed through the colon waU and provide a supplementary energy source to the host. Therefore, dietary fiber is partiaUy caloric. The short-chain fatty acids also promote reabsorption of sodium and water from the colon and stimulate colonic blood flow and pancreatic secretions. Butyrate has added health benefits. Butyric acid is the preferred energy source for the colonocytes and has been shown to promote normal colonic epitheUal ceU differentiation. Butyric acid may inhibit colonic polyps and tumors. The relationships of intestinal microflora to health and disease have been reviewed (10). 

Wohl, n. weal, health, benefit, good, wohl-, Wohl-. well, good. 

Coal from underground mines is assessed an excise tax of 1.10 per ton, and coal from surface mines is assessed a tax of 0.55 per ton, but in each case, a constraint is added that states that the tax cannot exceed 4.4 percent of the sales price. The receipts from these taxes are allocated to the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Monies from this trust fund are used to pay for health benefits to coal miners. 

Thus, our attention should shift from the concern of potential adverse effects to the health benefits imparted by hormonal contraceptives. The use of oral contraceptives for at least 12 months reduces the risk of developing endometrial cancer by 50%. Furthermore, the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in users of oral contraceptives is reduced by 40% compared with that on nonusers. This kind of protection is already seen after as little as 3-6 months of use. Oral contraceptives also decrease the incidence of ovarian cysts and fibrocystic breast disease. They reduce menstrual blood loss and thus the incidence of iron-deficiency anemia. A decreased incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancies has been reported as well as an ameliorating effect on the clinical course of endometriosis. 

Taking the contraceptive hormones provides health benefits not related to contraception, such as regulating the menstrual cycle and decreased blood loss, and incidence of iron deficiency anemia, and dysmenorrhea Health benefits related to the inhibition of ovulation include a decrease in ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancies. hi addition, there is a decrease in fibrocyctic breast disease, acute pelvic inflammatory disease endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, maintenance of bone density, and symptoms related to endometriosis in women taking contraceptive hormones. Newer combination contraceptives such as norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol... 

Some simple foods can be preservatives in their own right. Honey, salt, sugar, lactic acid, and vinegar are all examples of foods that inhibit microbial action. Some health professionals recommend consuming phytoestrogens from foods such as soybeans to achieve various health benefits. The phytoestrogens in the paraben family, found in blueberries, kill molds and fungi and are often added to food as preservatives. 

Trilinolein is a polyunsaturated fat. This type of fat is an antioxidant that has been linked to a number of potential cardiovascular health benefits. It is found in seed oils such as safflower oil and linseed oil. 

G.21 Practioners of the branch of alternative medicine known as homeopathy claim that very dilute solutions of substances can have an effect. Is the claim plausible To explore this question, suppose that you prepare a solution of a supposedly active substance, X, with a molarity of 0.10 mol-L. Then you dilute 10. mL of that solution by doubling the volume, doubling it again, and so on, for 90 doublings in all. How many molecules of X will be present in 10. mL of the final solution Comment on the possible health benefits of the solution. 

G.21 Less than one molecule will be left after 69 doublings no health benefits. 

The scientific interest in cereal /1-glucans arose partly from the problems they cause in brewing and animal-feed industries in the case of barley [318] and partly from the health benefits, such as cholesterol reduction [319-321], regulation of postgrandial seriun glucose levels in humans and animals [319,322], and immunostimulatory activity [323,324]. Some of these activities have been observed with both oat and barley )6-glucans [325]. 

The technological troubles of barley j0-glucan and the health benefits of cereal j0-glucans result, in general, from their ability to form highly viscous solutions and gels. The gel formation is controlled by the molecular weight as well as the solubility of the polysaccharides in aqueous media, which... 

Glover, D.A. Ushida, K. Phillips, A. O. Riley. S. G. (2009) Acacia (sen) SUPERGUMtm (Gum arabic) An evaluation of potential health benefits in human subjects. Food Hydrocolloids, Vol. 23, No. 8, (December 2009), pp. 2410-2415, ISSN 0268-005X. 

The general recommendations on energy and fat intake are similar to those for the avoidance of heart disease. However, the recommendation to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables is based partly on the putative presence of diverse protective factors in plant foods. This concept does provide, at least in principle, a rationale for the functional health benefits of plant foods beyond the simple provision of nutrients at a level that prevents symptoms of deficiency. 

For centuries, there have been many records in China relating to the health benefits of drinking tea. People have believed that tea can stimulate thought processes and mental alertness increase blood flow clear the urine and facilitate its flow prevent tooth decay increase the body s power of resistance to a wide range of diseases and prolong life expectancy. However, these claims were primarily anecdotal. It is only in the last few decades that the health benefits of tea are beginning to be demonstrated from a scientific perspective. Numerous recent reports on tea and human health have been examined and this chapter gives a brief review of certain aspects of current research. 

Tea flavonoids, or tea extracts, have been linked to benefits in reducing the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases in experimental animals. However, epidemiological studies have produced inconsistent evidence in the relationship between tea drinking and cancer (Blot et a/., 1997 Goldbohm etal, 1996 Hertog eta/., 1997 Yang eta/., 1996). Therefore, further research is needed before definitive conclusions on the impact of tea consumption upon the cancer risk in humans can be reached. The metabolites of catechins and flavonols after consumption of tea infusions have scarcely been investigated, and thus more research is needed as to the role of those compounds in the reported health benefits of tea consumption. 

LIAO s, KAO Y H and HiiPAKKA R A (2001) Green tea biochemical and biological basis for health benefits , Vitam Harm, 62, 1-94. 

The mucosa of the GIT represents an interface between the external and internal environments. The expansive surface area is necessary for the efficient hydrolysis of foodstuffs and the absorption of energy and nutrients. The mucosa also influences the systemic availability of non-nutrient compounds in the diet, both beneficial and detrimental. Digestion and absorption of glucosinolates are critical determinants of health benefits (see Chapter 4) Similarly, the bioavailability and health benefits of phytoestrogens, such as genistein (see Chapters 5 and 10) are at least partly dependent on the carrier-mediated processes of absorption associated with the GIT (Oitate et al, 2001). Moreover, the metabolic activities of the mucosa can influence the systemic concentrations and forms of dietary phytochemicals, as exemplified by research with soy isoflavones (Andlauer et al., 2000). 

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