Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 20, Issue 5, 2024

Malnutrition is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a person's energy and/or nutrient consumption being insufficient, excessive, or out of proportion. Health officials in India are quite concerned about malnutrition in children under five. Recent research revealed a significant frequency of undernutrition among children under the age of five. It is estimated that malnutrition affects roughly 2/3 of India's population under the age of five and that 5-8% of those children are severely malnourished. It could be argued that it is one of the most prevalent issues affecting children's health in the nation. Mothers' nutritional health, breastfeeding habits, women's education, and cleanliness are all factors that contribute to malnutrition. The use of dietary supplements is widespread, and they are a class of ingestible goods that can be distinguished from common meals and medications. Over the past few decades, the demand for phytonutrients has increased, and individuals are now using them to meet their nutritional needs. This review enlightens and explores the prevalence of undernutrition, its causes, and the necessary countermeasures, treatments for malnutrition among children under the age of five in India and nutritional diversification of food and other benefits which make it a better choice to use in our daily diet to combat pediatric malnutrition.

Background: The words "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical" are combined to form the phrase "nutraceutical." Nutraceuticals are foods or dietary components that have an important role in regulating and sustaining normal physiological function in humans. For the treatment of dysmenorrhoea, a variety of pharmacological medications are available, however, they all have significant side effects. Dietary supplements and lifestyle management, on the other hand, were found to have a major influence on the occurrence and control of dysmenorrhea. Objective: The objective of this paper is to study a comprehensive review of the dietary and nutritional supplements with special emphasis on dysmenorrhea. This paper focuses on understanding and interpreting the details of menstrual pain and its effective nutritional diet that can be used as a treatment for avoiding menstrual discomfort. Methods: The selection of data has been done by studying a combination of various research and review papers from different databases like PubMed, NCBI, Science Direct, WHO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from the year 2000-2022. Results: Based on various papers and literature reviews, we have concluded about various dietary supplements and herbs that can be used to avoid pain during mensuration followed by its all-daily requirement of nutrition on different age groups and efficacy of treatments. Conclusion: According to current evidence, young women should be instructed in the proper use of dietary supplements, nutrition, and vitamins, as well as the inclusion of effective diet and lifestyle changes such as exercise and a well-balanced diet with adequate nutrition, as these are likely to reduce the negative effects of dysmenorrhea.

Background: Nerium Oleander is an Indian folk medicine popularly known as oleander, contains numerous phytoconstituents and nutritional agents for the treatment of multiple ailments. Objective: The prime objective for the current comprehensive review is to focus on the elaboration of phytochemistry along with the Pharmacological significance of N. oleander. Methods: As per literature investigations it was noticed that plant contains various phytochemical constituents, including Oleandric acid, Kaneroside, Cardenolide, Nerizoside, Neritaloside, Odoroside- H,3-Ocaffeoylquinic acid along with structural isomer, 5-Ocaffeoylquinic acid, α-tocopherol, Oleandrin, Digitoxgenin along with nutritional ingredients viz essential fatty acids like omega- 3 fatty acids, and other polyphenols reported in N. oleander. Results: In recent investigations, it was observed that oleander possesses a wide range of medicinal attributes viz. anti-inflammatory, larvicidal, anti-cancer, Antidiabetic, Cellular/humoral immune response, Hepatoprotective, Wound healing, Anti-microbial, Antioxidant, Antinociceptive, Locomotor, Diuretic, and Anti leukemic activities. Conclusion: N. oleander could be an excellent candidate for discovering new medications because of its wide range of pharmacological action and the large diversity of active phytochemicals. However, to disclose the favorable therapeutic, safety, and pharmacological virtues of N. oleander and its phytoconstituents, more clinical and experimental investigations are needed.

Maintaining a well-balanced diet and considering how to fulfill all the adequate nutrition required by the body will help us live a healthy lifestyle. The risk of illness, infection, exhaustion, and poor performance increases when a balanced diet is absent. The anti-treatment technique of food modification has gained a lot of attention in research over the past few decades. Popular diets include Mediterranean, vegan, and low-carbohydrate diets. The vegan diet is a plant-based eating plan that eliminates animal products and emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. The Palaeolithic age diet emphasizes eating full, unprocessed foods available to early people while avoiding grains, legumes, dairy products, refined sugar, and processed foods. Proponents claim it can improve health, and aid in weight loss. Numerous dietary patterns, such as caloric restriction (CR), dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH), ketogenic diets (KD), the Mediterranean diet (Medi), and Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurological Delay (MIND) diet, have been tried to reduce body weight, any other disease infections, and cognitive decline. Increased Mediterranean diet adherence was linked to reductions in cardiovascular and neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related cognitive loss. The MIND diet, a new good dietary pattern has been linked to a significantly lower incidence of AD and slower rates of cognitive deterioration. The current piece of work emphasizes the introduction, nutritional components, and health advantages of different types of diet.

The human body is colonized by trillions of microbes, that contribute to our health and well-being. Many factors influence the composition and functions of the intestinal microbiota, including the host's eating habits, which seem to have a significant effect. A healthy intestinal microbiota is essential for proper metabolic function and homeostasis. Alterations in microbial composition could dramatically cause obesity and diabetes, modifying and influencing host metabolism, homeostasis, and central appetite mechanism. Brain reward signaling is mediated by the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and plays an important role in the development of obesity. Dysregulation of the energy balance causes obesity. Obesity is a serious health problem. The composition of the intestinal microbiota influences various aspects of energy metabolism: digestion, food intake from ingested foods, food components, and accumulation of excess fat. Therefore, the microbial community can contribute significantly to the progression of obesity and its complications. A "tailored nutritional approach" and more feasible and sustainable personalized nutritional strategies must be developed to optimize the gut microbiome and improve host response.

Cancer is the greatest cause of mortality worldwide, and it is distinguished by the unrestrained proliferation of a group of aberrant cells, the random division of cells, and the invasiveness of genetically organized cells. At present, there are various strategies for curing of cancer-based on the type & severity. In the earlier two decades, curcumin has received huge attention in pharmacological, biological, and nutraceutical research. In addition to triggering apoptosis in cancer cells, curcumin also inhibits cancer cell invasion and proliferation by stifling cellular signaling pathways. The lower water solubility of curcumin decreases the oral bioavailability, absorption into the systemic circulation, and chemical stability and finally bound the activity of curcumin as an anticancer agent. The pharmacology of curcumin, as well as its derivatives with relation to its anticancer potential, primary modes of action, & cellular target, has been summarised in this article along with a list of the numerous curcumin enclosing nanoformulations. Multiple methods of administration have been developed for curcumin to boost its specificity. Encapsulation and other formulation processing techniques have been found to enhance both the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. The nanoparticles' size, shape, surface characteristics, and targeting ligand are all factors that nanoformulation designers must think about when working to increase the efficacy and cellular targeting of anticancer treatments.

Millions of dollars have been spent on nutritional and herbal supplements, which are used by many overweight people to lose weight. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness and safety of several supplements. By boosting energy expenditure, satiety, fat oxidation, inhibiting dietary fat absorption, moderating carbohydrate metabolism, raising fat excretion, increasing water elimination, and improving mood, supplements are thought to aid in weight reduction. This study provides an overview of the present status of the research on a few particular dietary supplements, herbal combinations, and combination products, as this field is evolving quickly. More studies on numerous supplements are required to verify their efficacy because they have not been examined in randomised controlled trials. Nutritionists and medical experts should go through dietary supplement use with patients and notify the FDA of any negative side effects. Additional rules would be required for the manufacture, sale, and marketing of these supplements.

Aim: The current manuscript aims to discuss the ethnopharmacological relevance of the common plant Chrysanthemum morifolium, also known as pot mums and its potential therapeutic applications. Methods: A bibliography survey was carried out using various electronic databases like google scholar, ScienceDirect, Springer, Scopus, PubMed, Wiley, etc. Other offline, as well as, online academic libraries were also used for the bibliography survey and compilation of data. Result and Discussion: Traditional remedies have grown in both therapeutic and economic importance around the world and are used by various groups of people. While the use of these medications has grown, there are still concerns about their consistency, safety, and efficacy in many areas. Chrysanthemum is the peak three of the world’s mainly significant cut flowers with an important herb of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It contains abundant volatile oil and flavonoids. It has been used for a long time to treat allergies, cardiovascular disease, severe flu, hypertension, and sore throat. It also has characteristics such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, aromatic, demulcent, febrifuge, hepatic, hypotensive, refrigerant, etc. Conclusion: It can be established from the complete study that various active constituents can be isolated from the plant which has potential therapeutic value and justifies its use on modern scientific parameters.

To reduce the risk of insufficient nutrient intake, nutrient reference values for humans are set at the average nutrient need level without a safety margin. The vast majority of nations and areas in the globe set nutritional intake guidelines for their citizens. Currently, no harmonized nutrient reference value has been published, as well as the development of standards cannot be achieved through the use of formalized frameworks or terminology. The study's objective was to create recommendations for appropriate and secure micronutrient intake ranges that could be used to inform dietary advice. As relevant to the study, we examined micronutrient data from food intake surveys from representative nations. The comparison of national standards illustrates that the level of reference values for nutrient for individual countries is dependent on variables such as methodology, data sources, physical activity exemptions, standard body weights, and age range. In the current study, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, B12, D and folate were identified as the most commonly under-consumed micronutrients. In this article, the level of six countries' standards are compared to the current reference values for nutrients. Further, numerous words for different dietary standards components are discussed, and a final set of harmonized reference nutrient intake for the dietary advice is provided.

Background: Some heavy metals found in our environment are toxic; once absorbed by plants, they build up in tissues and are phased out. Other heavy metals are trace elements needed for human health, but they can be toxic in excess concentrations. Objective: The purpose of this study is both to confirm the necessary metals' recognized medicinal virtues and to raise awareness of the presence of harmful non-essential metals that could harm humans and the environment. Methods: This study depicts a profile of existence of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Fe) in some important herbal plants used in some parts of the country as a food condiment like (Moringa oleifera, Artemesia campestis, Nigella sativa, Asparagus stipularis, Sesamum indicum, Ruta montana, Rhamnus alaternus, Pistacia lentiscus using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: The heavy metals in these medicinal plants were in the range of 0.38-0.56ppm of Zn, 0.00- 0.69 ppm of Cu, 0.13-0.16 ppm of Cd, 0.26-0.52 ppm of Pb, 1.10-8.89 ppm of Fe. Of the eight medicinal plants/products examined, the prescribed limits were respected. For each plant, a test sample of 2 grams of powder is mineralized. Each mineral is analyzed by injection. For each element, a calibration curve is generated. Assay with atomic absorption devices (lead, copper, cadmium, nickel, manganese) is carried out. The results are expressed in mg/L for different species. The highest value is lead. Copper content is present in various extracts and is considered a good source. Conclusion: The obtained results are promising for human health. The zinc contained in Moringa is very valuable. The presence of iron in the species Rhamnus alaternus confirms its use in traditional medicine as an anti-anemic.