In Human Diets

Jerusalem artichoke tubers have been utilized as a staple or sustenance crop at various times and in diverse places other parts of the plant are not part of the human diet. Native Americans were the first to cultivate the crop and consume it in substantial amounts, as it originated in North America. After its introduction in 1607, it became for a time a major source of carbohydrate in the Western European diet, until the potato replaced it in the mid-18th century. It was again cultivated as a staple in Europe immediately after the Second World War, especially in France and Germany, due to a scarcity of potatoes. Today, the consumption of Jerusalem artichokes is much less than it has been in the past in the U.S. and Europe. 

Biology and Chemistry of Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus L. 

With concern about the rising incidence of obesity and diabetes, increasing the dietary intake of Jerusalem artichoke, and inulin-containing products derived from it, could bring major health benefits. Historically, the average daily intake of inulin from all sources has been estimated to be around 25 to 33 g. However, by the 1990s, consumption was as low as 2 to 12 g per person per day (Roberfroid et al., 1993). The current estimated consumption in the U.S. is around 1 to 4 g per day, while in Europe it is 3 to 11 g per day wheat and onions mainly account for this inulin consumption (Moshfegh et al., 1999 Roberfroid and Delzenne, 1998 Van Loo et al., 1995). 

Food Applications with Inulin and Fructooligosaccharides (Oligofructose) 

Dairy products Sugar and fat replacement synergy with sweeteners body 2-10 2-10 

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Nitrogen isotope ratios ( N/ " N) inerease from plants to herbivores to eami-vores and ean be used to estimate the degree of camivory in human diets. Some field studies observe a greater differenee in 5 N between trophie levels in dry, hot habitats than in wet, cool ones. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this variation in difference in 8 N between trophic levels. (1) Elevated excretion of -depleted urea in heat/water-stressed animals (2) recycling of nitrogen on protein-deficient diets. Both predict increased diet-tissue 8 N difference under stress. 

Vitamin C occurs as L-ascorbic acid and dihydroascorbic acid in fruits, vegetables and potatoes, as well as in processed foods to which it has been added as an antioxidant. The only wholly undisputed function of vitamin C is the prevention of scurvy. Although this is the physiological rationale for the currently recommended intake levels, there is growing evidence that vitamin C may provide additional protective effects against other diseases including cancer, and the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) may be increased in the near future. Scurvy develops in adults whose habitual intake of vitamin C falls below 1 mg/d, and under experimental conditions 10 mg/d is sufficient to prevent or alleviate symptoms (Bartley et al., 1953). The RDA is 60 mg per day in the USA, but plasma levels of ascorbate do not achieve saturation until daily intakes reach around 100 mg (Bates et al., 1979). Most of the ascorbate in human diets is derived from natural sources, and consumers who eat five portions, or about 400-500 g, of fruits and vegetables per day could obtain as much as 200 mg of ascorbate. 

Stavric B. 1994. Role of chemopreventers in human diet. Clin Biochem 27(5) 319—332. 

Polyphenols are the most abundant antioxidants in human diets. They are secondary metabolites of plants. These compounds are designed with an aromatic ring carrying one or more hydroxyl moieties. Several classes can be considered according to the number of phenol rings and to the structural elements that bind these rings. 

Criteria have not yet been formulated by regulatory agencies for protection of sensitive fish and wildlife resources against fenvalerate. Guidelines for protection of poultry, livestock, and human health include <50 mg/kg in poultry diets, <5 mg/kg in livestock diets, <3 mg/kg in human diets, and <0.125 mg/kg BW daily in humans. 

WATKINS ET AL. Effect of Soy Versus Meat in Human Diets... 

Another point to be considered is the form in which the protein-containing food is consumed and the efficiency of extraction or use of the protein in human diet. When this is considered, most of the seed-type foods, beans and legumes, have efficiencies which overcome their lowered production potential. Thus, these foods can be directly consumed and this results in a very efficient use in the human body. Many grasses and... 

NOC constitute a large category of genotoxic chemical carcinogens occurring in human diet and are known to induce cancer in experimental animals. Nitrosamines are generally found in foods since they are more stable than nitrosamides. Some NOC precursors do not act directly but must be converted to other nitrosation species. 

Another important source of antibiotics in human diet is through the ingestion of farmed fish. Farmed fish and shrimp are produced in crowded facilities with inadequate or nonexistent regulation of antibiotic use. The detection of chloramphenicol... 

Since magnesium is a constituent of the chlorophyll molecule, it is essential to the growth of all green plants (78). It occurs in all the cells and fluids of the human body, especially in bones and muscles (82). E. V. McCollum and his collaborators have proved that it is essential to animal life. The principal sources of magnesium in human diets are milk, vegetables, and green plants (128, 129). 

Cereals and meats are the major sources of phosphorus in human diets. Phosphorus deficiencies in most regions have not been a serious problem in human nutrition. Insofar as food is concerned, the primary value of phosphorus fertilizers is that they generally increase the total food production not die content of phosphorus in the food per se,... 

The extent to which any plant will convert inorganic sulfur taken up from the soil into amino acids and incorporate these into protein is controlled by die genetics of the plant, Increasing the available sulfur in soils to levels in excess of those needed for optimum plant growth will not increase the concentration of sulfur amino acids in plant tissues. To meet die requirements for sulfur amino acids in human diets, the use of food plant species with die inherited ability to build proteins with high levels of sulfur amino acids is required in addition to that supplied by way of the soil. 

Since animals tend to concentrate in their own proteins the sulfur amino acids contained in the plants diey eat, such animal products (meat. eggs, and cheese) are valuable sources of the essential sulfur amino acids in human diets. In regions where die diet is composed almost entirely of foods of plant origin, deficiencies of sulfur amino acids may be critical in human nutrition. Frequently, persons in such areas (also voluntary vegetarians) are also likely to suffer from a number of odier dietary insufficiencies unless supplemental sources are used. 

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