Health-promoting effects

In the Unites States, the daily intake of 3-carotene is around 2 mg/day Several epidemiological studies have reported that consumption of carotenoid-rich foods is associated with reduced risks of certain chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, and age-related macular degeneration. These preventive effects of carotenoids may be related to their major function as vitamin A precursors and/or their actions as antioxidants, modulators of the immune response, and inducers of gap-junction communications. Not all carotenoids exert similar protective effects against specific diseases. By reason of the potential use of carotenoids as natural food colorants and/or for their health-promoting effects, research has focused on better understanding how they are absorbed by and metabolized in the human body. 

Despite their potential health-promoting effects as dietary antioxidants, the fate of betalains in humans has been poorly studied. Betalain bioavailability was first demonstrated in humans by the appearance of betacyanins in urines after ingestion of beetroot extract" and red beet juice," indicating that these compounds are indeed absorbed. Although intact betacyanins (betanin and isobetaiun) appeared rapidly in human urine with a maximum excretion rate observed within 2.5 to 8 hr," betacy-anin recoveries in human urine were usually low (< 1% of the dose) over 24 hr postdose, suggesting that either the bioavailabifity of betacyaiuns from red beetroot is low or that renal clearance is a minor excretion route for these compounds. 

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant-derived phytochemicals, which are precursors of hormone-like compounds found in mammalian systems. They possess a wide range of health promoting effects in... 

There is evidence that chlorogenic acid has numerous health-promoting effects and CGA supplements are available in health stores. Dietary CGA is bioavailable in humans (Monteiro et al., 2007), is known to protect animals against degenerative, age-related diseases when added to... 

Fat is a key component in the human diet. Research shows that excessive consumption of saturated fat negatively impacts several biomarkers of health while monounsaturated and n-3 PUFAs are beneficial to human health. Moreover, research shows that imbalanced dietary ratios of n-6 n-3 may lead to various health complications as well as disease progression while increased n-3 levels impart prevention and health promoting effects (Burghardt et al., 2010 Goodstine et al., 2003 Simopoulos, 2002 Wan et al., 2010). The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish meals at least twice a week due to their promising health and especially cardiovascular benefits. Here, we review some of the health benefits of n-3 PUFAs, due in part to their anti-inflammatory effects in cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), obesity, and other metabolic disorders. 

In association with well-known health benefits related to the consumption of fruit- and vegetable-rich diets, research on the protective effects of plant-derived phenolic compounds (polyphenols) has developed notably in recent years. In particular, their antioxidant properties have been the objective of extensive research. However these phenolics are the target of an array of chemical reactions that, if confirmed to occur in vivo, would contribute to their health promoting effects. It is now emerging that both parent compounds and their metabolites produced after ingestion can regulate cell and tissue functions by both antioxidant and nonantioxidant mechanisms. This volume provides the latest evidence supporting these concepts. 

Davalos, A. and Lasuncion, M. A. (2009). Health-promoting effects of wine phenolics. In Wine Chemistry and Biochemistry", (M. V. Moreno-Arribas and M. C. Polo, Eds), pp. 571-591. Springer, New York. 

The health-promoting effect of lactobacilli was first hypothesized by Metchnikoff at the beginning of the last century (Metchnikoff 1905). In the last four decades there have been growing attempts to improve the health status of the indigenous intestinal flora by living microbial adjuncts, probiotics. Salminen and coworkers (1999) proposed that probiotics are microbial cell preparations or components of microbial cells that have beneficial effect on the health and well-being of the host. The probiotics do not have to be viable as nonviable forms of probiotics have also been shown to exert health-promoting effect. 

Hakkinen and Auriola [54] studied the flavonoid contents of various types of Fiimish berries by a combination of LC-ESl-MS, LC-UV-DAD, and GC-MS for identification of the sugar residues. Quercetin was foimd in all berry species. In addition, myricetin and kaempferol were found in some species. Hexose-, deoxyhexose-hexose-, and pentose-flavonols were most abimdant. The presence of rhamnose, glucose, and galactose was identified GC-MS. The method was apphed to assess the health-promoting effects of the flavonoids as antioxidants and anticarcinogens... 

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