Other protective non-nutrients in foods

Some non-nutrient compounds present in plant foods have potentially protective effects other than as antioxidants. The actions of these compounds include  

Collectively, these potentially protective non-nutrients in plant foods are known as phytochemicals or phytoceuticals. They are not classified as nutrients because they do not have a clear function in the body, and deficiency does not lead to any specific lesions. Nevertheless, they are important in the diet, and provide a sound basis for increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, quite apart from the beneficial effects of increased intake of non-starch polysaccharides, vitamins and minerals and reduced intake of fat (and especially saturated fat). 

The rate-limiting step of cholesterol synthesis is the reduction of hydroxy- 

Foreign compounds (and a number of endogenous metabolites, including steroid hormones) undergo two stages of metabolism before excretion  

Although phase I metabolism is considered to be catabolic, and part of the inactivation of steroid hormones, it also results in the production of active carcinogens from a number of otherwise inactive compounds. 

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