Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 7, Issue 4, 2011

Women seem to be aware that they should reduce their alcohol and caffeine intakes in the run up to pregnancy and some may take folic acid supplements. However, the importance of attaining a ‘healthy’ body weight before becoming pregnant seems to be one key area that is overlooked. For women, being overweight or obese can reduce fertility, and increase the risk of certain medical conditions such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and delivery complications in pregnancy. Equally, being underweight before conception brings with it separate health implications, including fertility problems and increased risk of small-for-gestational age (SGA) deliveries. Consequently, body weights outside recommended reference ranges before pregnancy may contribute to a cycle of poor intergenerational health, as well as driving up health care costs. Health interventions are needed to increase women's understanding about why it is important to achieve a healthy body weight before becoming pregnant and how this can be safety achieved without impacting on nutrition status.

The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposures to arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). In nature, heavy metal toxicities occur in all living organisms. The consequences of these toxicities have been described in humans. An important aspect of heavy metal toxicities resulting in carcinogenicity is due to the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species e.g. super oxides, hydro peroxides and nitric oxide. Consumption of food crops grown in regions with toxic levels of heavy metals and consumption of live stock products fed produce from these regions could result in heavy metal toxicity in humans. Heavy metals, when in excess quantities, accumulate chiefly in the blood, liver and kidneys. However, researchers suggest that aluminum (Al) may be more likely to accumulate in the brains of persons whose diets are Magnesium (Mg)-deficient. In general, heavy metal toxicities in humans are not common under normal conditions. Most toxicities are caused by environmental and/or genetic abnormalities, from excessive intake, by deliberate or accidental overdose, or from induced deficiencies. Effective measures to control metal toxicities in humans include gastric lavage, ascorbic acid intake and divalent cation therapy, such as the use of calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn). The use of a variety of chelating agents in the acute toxicity phase has also been found useful. Protective legislation against the use of metal alloy cooking utensils is the long-term control strategy. Future studies need to identify the mechanism of action for toxicity, because at present only a few have been elucidated in this context.

Honey offers many medicinal uses described in traditional medicine, in addition to just commonly being used as a sweetener. The composition of honey varies depending on the floral source, seasonal and environmental factors, as well as processing techniques used. Honey is rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, and exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities. It has been hypothesized that honey contributes to the reduction in cardiovascular diseases mainly due to flavonoid-mediated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial activities. The consumption of natural honey has been shown to inhibit oxidation of low density protein, vasodialate blood vessels due to nitric oxide production, decrease platelet aggregation, and exert analgesic and anti-atherogenic effects; each of which may decrease cardiovascular risk. This overview explores the potential therapeutic role of honey in treating cardiovascular diseases, mainly focusing on its potential molecular mechanism(s) underlying flavonoid-mediated actions that may be cardioprotective. However, well designed, double blind, clinical trials on a large scale are needed to confirm therapeutic efficacy of honey in humans.

At present, foods containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are being studied through clinical trials, analytical assays and meta-analysis in order to confirm their potential health benefits. Indeed, there is a continuous search for new ways to develop products rich in n-3 PUFAs. The aim of the current review is to provide a general vision of the concept of functional meat products rich in n-3 PUFAs not only concerning fishy products, but also those from enriched meat products of monogastric and ruminant animals. This document highlights the importance of n-3 PUFAs as an essential nutrient and a functional ingredient in meat products in order to prevent deficiency or even to treat pathological conditions as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, depression and childhood disorders. Ways to improve depth in this review are those made in diets for monogastric and ruminant animals that have been enriched with n-3 PUFAs and in some cases supplemented with vitamin E. This also shows that there are other techniques to improve the meat products by varying the stage of process or formulation. Both strategies have been essentially reduced n-6: n-3 recommended to values below 4. Some studies of this paper emphasize using antioxidants such as vitamin E, as a positive influence on lipid oxidative and sensory stability of meat and meat products to avoid the variation in colour, flavour, taste and texture. The review shows recent strategies to improve the quality of meat and processed meat that would allow considering them as important functional foods.

Background: Elevated LDL cholesterol and impaired fasting glucose are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease; the most prevalent cause of mortality in the USA. Many dietary approaches have been examined to help combat these medical problems. Each type of diet typically places a particular emphasis on the relative proportions of the three macronutrients; fat, carbohydrate and protein. Methods: We report on a case series of 41 patients who were placed on an 1100 calorie diet reduced in starch and emphasizing lean proteins, mono and polyunsaturated fats and fiber with a unique composition of macronutrients for four months in an effort to improve cholesterol and fasting glucose indices. Results: 28 of the 41 (68%) patients complied with the protocol over a four-month period. In the compliant group, statistically significant reduction (p<0.05) in the following mean variables were seen; Weight (2.3kg), Total Cholesterol 22% (53 mg/dL), LDL 23% (43mg/dL), HDL (4 mg/dL) ,TAG (21mg/dL) and fasting serum glucose (12mg/dL), after 4 months on the dietary regimen. In the non-compliant/comparison group, statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in the following variables were seen; Total Cholesterol (24 mg/dL), LDL (14 mg/dL) and TAG (29 mg/dl), at the end of 6 months. Conclusions: This magnitude of reduction in Total and LDL Cholesterol is significantly greater than that seen in the recent large dietary intervention trials and is comparable to that seen in ‘eco-Atkins’ trial, which was far more restrictive in nature and shorter in duration. We hypothesize that given the significant reduction in fasting serum glucose and the pre-clinical data showing insulin increasing activity of the HMG CoA reductase enzyme, the underlying mechanism of action for the significant drop in Total and LDL cholesterol may be a reduced serum insulin levels and HMG-CoA reductase activity.

Identification of the analytes present in the volatile portion of a number of confectionaries was made using solid phase microextraction in combination with gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. This represents a first step in formulating a database of confectionary volatiles, which considering the recent problems with food adulteration should prove useful.

Algae are small microscopic unicellular organisms in which, there are two important subtypes (Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris) that recently have been extensively studied in different fields specially food industry and medicine. Since there is a highly vast data about algae, micro algae and their species, we tried to present a coherent collection of some algae and micro algae classes' medical benefits mostly through Spirulina platensis. Early interest in Spirulina focused mainly on its rich content of protein, vitamins, essential amino acids, minerals, and essential fatty acids. These factors bring the antiinflammation, anticancer, antihyperglycemia, antihypertension and lots of medically useful properties that in the following have been discussed about in detail. The objectives of this paper are categorized in 3 groups. First, reviewing the available literature on the potential health effects of algae and micro algae specially Spirulina platensis, second, providing an insight to the potential implications of the studies reviewed in the context of possible nutritional and therapeutic applications in health management, and third, identifying the fields of interests for future researches.

Lagenaria siceraria, commonly known as bottle gourd, is extensively grown in India and other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The bottle gourd is rich in a number of phytoconstituents, minerals, vitamins, fibre etc. with potent neutraceutical and therapeutic functions. Leaves and roots are used as emetic to reduce baldness and to relieve headache. Flowers are used as antidote in certain kinds of poisons. L. siceraria is reported to exhibit cardioprotective, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective functions in human subjects as well as in experimental models. The bottle gourd is proved to be a potential source of prophylactic and therapeutic neutraceuticals and can serve as ‘medicinal food’ particularly in metabolic disorders associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms. The objective of this article is to work out the ethnopharmacological and other medicinal applications of L. siceraria along with phytochemical and biochemical composition.