Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 19, Issue 8, 2023

Over the past few decades, the multifaceted anticancer action of various plant-derived flavonoids has been demonstrated both in in vitro and in vivo preclinical experiments as well as in clinical trials and large-scale epidemiological studies. These secondary metabolites, synthesized in plants in response to different environmental stresses, can exert diverse biological activities in the human body after ingestion of plant-based foods. Flavonoids are indeed well-known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, proapoptotic, anti-migratory, antiinvasive, anti-metastatic, and anti-angiogenic properties, thereby preventing and slowing the development of different types of human cancers. Accordingly, more and more people all over the world have increased their everyday intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and spices to get the benefits of flavonoids. In this commentary article, a critical view is presented on the possible gradual decrease in the health-promoting effects of edible and medicinal plant products related to changes in their flavonoid content and composition as a consequence of global warming. It is indeed generally accepted that biosynthesis and accumulation of certain flavonoids can be higher in plants cultivated in colder conditions, while a high temperature may even block the production of these agents. It only remains to be determined in the future as to what extent the lowering of flavonoids content in plant-based diets during global warming can contribute to continuously increasing worldwide incidence of new cancer cases, revealing the actual costs of human-induced environmental changes.

The review aims to summarize the most important and common natural antioxidants and their resources from medicinal plants, as the vast majority in the world have always applied medicinal plants for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Keywords were searched in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science, as well as the search engine Google Scholar. Important traditional medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in China are Asparagus, bindii, blueberries, barberry fruit, borage, calendula, camellia, coriander, cumin, Chinese bayberry, bitter Chinese melon, Chinese cabbage, Chinese cherry, Chinese jujube, Chinese olive, pomegranate, Chinese rose tea, Chinese toon, Chinese watermelon, black tea, green tea, knotweed, Chinese quince, Chinese rhubarb, pomegranate, sumac, thyme, wolfberry, dendrobium, drumstick tree, rosemary, black Zira, rose, Fiscus species, ginger, ginkgo, goji berry, grape, Jerusalem thorn, jujube, kiwifruit seed oil, and liquorice root. The main derived exogenous natural antioxidants are derived from medicinal plants, fruits, foods, flowers, and traditional herbal medicines. Among various medicinal plants, the medicinal plants common in Asian traditional medicine have shown enormous potential as great sources of natural antioxidants. Polyphenols, and some other secondary bioactive compounds like anthocyanins, isoflavones, pterostilbene, resveratol, quercetin and catechins have shown potent antioxidant activity.

Background and Objective: Vitamins play an important role in maintaining proper health and wellness of the body. The deficiency of any of them may lead to serious health consequences. In the current scenario, deficiency of vitamin D has become a very prevalent and underdiagnosed health issue throughout the world. The purpose of this review is to briefly describe the importance, present market condition, and role of vitamin D supplements in COVID-19 in India, as well as how this has influenced the current situation. Methods: Literature survey was carried out using various online search engines like Google Scholar, Science Direct, Springer, PubMed, etc. offline libraries were also used for the compilation of the data. Results: It is evident from the study that the deficiency of vitamin D is associated with a lot of health problems, including cancer, diabetes, bone health deterioration, cardiovascular disorders, etc. This deficiency may occur due to an unhealthy lifestyle, mal-absorption, or decreased synthesis in the body. Vitamin D levels in the body can also be correlated with COVID-19 and the immunity of an individual. Conclusion: From this study, the importance of vitamin D levels in the human body can easily be understood. Various evidence of its connection with the COVID-19 pandemic is also available, though many studies in the area are still required. Altogether, increasing instances of vitamin D deficiency is a matter of great concern.

Background: Nutrition plays a vital role in fuelling an athlete for any sports event. The proper nutrition helps in better performance and better recovery of an athlete. Nutraceutical omega-3 fatty acids have shown to have a potential contribution to their performance output, recovery, and health/injury risk. Objective: The study aims to understand omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and review the required dose and duration of the intervention sufficient to confer any potential health benefit. Methods: The review was carried out using Google Scholar and PubMed databases. Studies were selected based on omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to improve muscle functioning and inflammation. In contrast, those studies based on animal models, pregnant women, or review articles were excluded from this review. Studies among athletes and non-athletes were selected and categorised. Results: Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation among athletes has provided substantial evidence of their health benefits in peripheral neuromuscular conditions, anaerobic endurance, muscle soreness, and reduced inflammation. It also hinted at the possible beneficial role of omega-3 fatty acid in supplementation and other sports beverages to help muscle health. Among non-athletes, it was observed that omega-3 fatty acids also help decrease the levels of inflammatory markers among non-athletes, and it helps improve muscle soreness after intense physical activity. Besides, it helps prevent muscle disuse atrophy, which could help injured individuals. Conclusion: The dose range of 1.1 g to 7 g for 2 weeks to 4 months can be effective for individuals, whether athletes or non-athletes.

Background: Osteoporosis is a major public health concern and is highly prevalent worldwide. There is increasing evidence about the importance of nutrition to this chronic condition. Aim: In this literature review, we aim to show the association between dietary patterns and the risk of developing osteoporosis. Methods: We reviewed and reported over 90 research papers published in Google scholar and ScienceDirect between 1981 and 2020 that investigated a connection between nutrient intake, dietary patterns and lifestyle and the risk of developing osteoporosis. Conclusion: Bone health is usually supported by nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, vitamin K and vitamin D. Healthy dietary patterns with high intakes of fruits and vegetables showed protective effects against osteoporosis. Physical activity and exercise also showed beneficial effects in protecting BMD. Other factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, pregnancy and lactation, and body mass index are all associated with osteoporosis risk. On the other hand, existing research shows that western dietary patterns ,including processed high protein diets, sugar, candy, soft drinks, pizza, French fries, and refined grains, are associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and a high risk of fractures. Besides all that, it has been reported that postmenopausal women tend to be primarily prone to osteoporosis, and this is mainly due to hormonal insufficiencies.

Nowadays, free radical chemistry is a field that has gained the wider attention of researchers. Our body generates free radicals’ reactive nitrogen and oxygen species through subjection to several pathological states, endogenous systems, and physicochemical conditions. For the physiological state to occur, it is compulsory to propel a balance between antioxidants and free radicals. Oxidative stress will set in when free radicals can no longer be regulated in the body system. Moreover, free radicals negatively affect DNA, protein, and lipids and cause many diseases in the human body. Thus, natural-sourced antioxidants can be used to manage this oxidative stress. Currently, it has been revealed that some synthetic antioxidants, including butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene, are hazardous to human health. Therefore, many efforts have been made in search of natural, non-toxic, and effective compounds that possess anti- oxidative properties. Hence, this review comprehensively presents the roles of plant-based antioxidants in resolving the challenging issues associated with free radical diseases in human beings. It further reviews the characteristics and occurrences of free radicals in the human body, the formation and mechanism of free radicals, some of the physiological impacts of free radicals on human health, sources of free radicals, and plant-sourced antioxidants as a frontier in managing free radicals.

Background: γ-aminobutyric acid produced from lactic acid bacteria can be an ideal component in food products due to its health functional properties. Objective: This study aimed to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with the capacity of producing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and evaluated its antimicrobial activities and application of Nem Chua (the traditionally fermented meat product). Methods: LAB strains from 7 types of Nem Chua products were isolated and evaluated for their GABA-producing and antibacterial capacities. The Nem Chua product was prepared from the selected GABA-producing LAB strain and evaluated for its GABA content, pH, and lactic acid levels. Results: Six strains (CP2, HC2, LV2, TP1, VL1, and XP1) were isolated being capable of producing GABA (1.234 – 1.568 mg/ml) after 24 h of fermentation. Among them, the strain VL1 was found to produce the highest GABA content and induce the highest antimicrobial activity against Bacillus Subtilis (19.7 mm in zone inhibition diameter). Strain VL1 was identified as Lactobacillus Plantarum and was used for the production of Nem Chua, which was found to contain 1.103 mg/g of GABA and 22 mg/g of lactic acid. Conclusion: The result showed the high feasibility of using GABA-producing strain L. Plantarum VL1 to develop functional products due to its health-beneficial effects.

Introduction: As a quick and non-destructive testing method, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has become more popular for identifying food adulteration, manipulation, and deception. Sunflower oil is a widely used food item that may be contaminated or even adulterated with potentially harmful chemical substances associated with health issues. Methods: In this regard, this study was carried out to examine the applicability of near- and midinfrared spectroscopy to identify modifications in the pure sunflower oil and sunflower oil dispersed with graphite. The dispersion of graphite powder in sunflower oil was achieved using the ultrasonic technique. The samples were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Changes in the FTIR signal were observed, indicating changes in the hydrogen atoms distribution within the solution. The flattened peak at 3470 cm^-1 was associated with the overtone of glyceride ester carbonyl absorption compared to pure SO. Additionally, the stretching vibration of carbonyl groups of triglyceride esters occurred as a significant absorption band at 1754 cm^-1, and the FTIR absorption at 1447 cm^-1 was absent. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed transparent layers of graphene sandwiched with sunflower oil with a distinct flake-like shape. Conclusion: These findings support dispersed graphite in sunflower oil to check the food quality.

Background: There has been an increase in the number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in whom problems with eating behaviors are often present. The use of a standardized questionnaire to assess the eating behaviors of children with ASD in Vietnam has not been paid due attention. Objective: This study aims to assess eating behaviors in children with ASD aged 3-11 years using the Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviors Inventory (BAMBI), thereby providing additional evidence to inform interventions in ASD children in Vietnam. Methods: An online survey using the BAMBI was conducted with parents of 85 children with ASD and parents of 175 typically developing (TD) children between April 2020 and April 2021. Results: The study revealed a higher risk of eating behavior problems among children with ASD compared to TD children (p < 0.0001). The differences between the two groups were statistically significant in 17 out of 18 items of the BAMBI. The study results also point out that in autistic children, the scores of 4/8 behaviors in the “limited variety” group were highest, which exceeded three points, while none of the behaviors relating to “food refusal” or “features of autism” reached three points. Conclusion: Future studies using direct observations with larger samples are needed to further investigate eating disorders among children with ASD.

In the Sea of Japan and the Okhotsk Sea, the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus is the major commercial species of the crab. The crab is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The composition of triacylglycerol (TG) molecular species in freshly collected juveniles of P. camtschaticus has been determined for the first time. By supercritical fluid chromatography with mass-spectrometry, 45 molecular species of TG were identified. Most of the molecular species contained docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6), and monounsaturated fatty acid 18:1. Thus, DHA, EPA, and AA received from the diet are used to build phospholipids (PL) and also stored in TG in P. camtschaticus juveniles. Therefore, the crab is a rich source of PUFAs, which are concentrated both in structural PL and in reserve TG.