Health-promoting effects antioxidant properties

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. 

Health-promoting effects of fermented plant foods a case of phytochemical and antioxidant property changes... 

For decades, research on the health-promoting effects of Mediterranean diet has revealed that olive oil consumption is a key factor in the cardiovascular protection found in Mediterranean countries [139]. It is well established that the healthful properties of olive oil depend mostly on its high oleic acid content. However, many arguments demonstrate that in olive oil there are minor bioactive components, other than oleic acid, responsible for its cardiovascular protective properties among them, the phenolic fraction of olive oil, and in particular OL and HT, has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-platelet aggregation, vasodilatatory, and anti-inflammatory effects, all involved in this health beneficial action [7,108-110]. 

These structurally diverse compounds exhibit a range of biological activities in vitro that may explain their potential health-promoting properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and the induction of apoptosis (Hooper and others 2008). Most of the recent interest in flavonoids as health-promoting compounds is related to their powerful antioxidant properties. The criteria to establish the antioxidant capacity of these compounds is based on several structural characteristics that include (a) the presence of o-dihydroxyl substituents in the B-ring (b) a double bond between positions 2 and 3 and (c) hydroxyl groups in positions 3 and 5. 

Ribeiro and Schieber (2010) published a review about the bioactive compounds of mango. The authors explored this fruit as an important source of health-promoting bioactive compounds, including ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids, carotenoids, phenolics compoimds, fiber, terpenoids, among others. They also describe a number of studies on the biological properties of compounds found in all parts of the mango plant, suggesting their beneficial effects on human health, particularly as antioxidants. 

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