Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2010

A combination of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and globalization has resulted in rapid changes in diets and lifestyles for many populations. The impact of these changes is significant for the health and nutritional status of such populations, particularly in the developing world. The negative consequences of the nutrition transition include poor nutrition and decreased physical activity, with a corresponding increase in diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis and some cancers, particularly among the poor. The coexistence of chronic diseases and undernutrition of infants, children and women, and overnutrition in adults, has been referred to as the double burden of malnutrition. Stable isotope techniques are now in widespread use in applied nutrition, however, in this paper we discuss three of the techniques with particular relevance to the development and monitoring of nutrition interventions globally. These techniques include the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique of deuterium (2H) and oxygen- 18 (18O) to assess total energy expenditure (TEE), the use of 2H to estimate total body water (TBW) and assessment of body composition as well as the deuterium oxide ‘dose-to-mother’ technique to assess human milk intake in breastfed infants.

Our diet plays an essential role in both the prevention and the natural history of cardiovascular disease. Recent population studies have shown that several foods (e.g., oily fish, fruit and vegetables, garlic, and fiber) have a clearly cardioprotective effect and should be consumed by patients at risk of vascular disease. In other foods, this effect is found alongside properties such as high energy content (eg, nuts or olive oil). Some foods are potential causes of organ damage. Such is the case of alcohol, which should be consumed in moderation. Prevention and treatment of disease should take into account appropriate amounts for daily consumption.

The Leguminosae are the third largest flowering plant family and includes more than 19,000 species, a small part of them considered edible for man and animals. Grain legumes such as soybean, chickpea, pea, lentil, common bean, faba bean or peanut are the main protein source together with cereals in many developing countries. They also form part of the Mediterranean diet and some of them are consumed after microbial fermentation as probiotics. Legumes may be produced in a sustainable way for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with a group of bacteria called rhizobia. In the development of this symbiosis, legume flavonoids play a fundamental role, being excreted by the plant in response to nodulation factors produced by the bacteria. Isoflavones, which are molecules mainly found in legumes, may have beneficial effects on human health, and their use can be of help in the fight against many diseases, including several types of cancer and cardiovascular disorders. In this paper we review the diversity of legumes consumed by the man, the fundamentals of their ecological production and the role of legume flavonoids both in plant-bacteria interactions and human health.

Biogenic amines (BAs) are defined as low molecular weight organic bases with biological activity. They are formed and degraded as part of the normal metabolism of microorganisms, plants and animals, in which they have important physiological functions. In humans, BAs are involved in brain activity, the regulation of body temperature and stomach pH, gastric acid secretion, the immune response, and cell growth and differentiation etc. However, the consumption of foods with high concentrations of BAs can induce adverse reactions such as nausea, headaches, rashes and changes in blood pressure. The accumulation of BAs in the food matrix is mainly due to the presence of bacteria able to decarboxylate certain amino acids. The most common and powerful BAs found in food are histamine, tyramine and putrescine. Their contents vary, sometimes reaching over 2 g per kg. Histamine is the only BA for which maximum levels in food have been set, although general interest exists in reducing the presence of all BAs in all food products. This review discusses the toxic effects of BAs when ingested with food.