Search results for "functional food"
showing 8 items of 88 documents
Mushroom-Based Supplements in Italy: Let’s Open Pandora’s Box
2023
Mushrooms and derivates are well known to the scientific community for having different health benefits and exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, including lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobic, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunomodulating, neuroprotective and osteoprotective actions. In Europe, medical mushrooms are mainly marketed in the form of food supplements as single components or combined with other nutraceuticals. In this context, the first peculiarity that distinguishes it is the safety established through the “history of consumption” that characterizes that mushroom. However, the cultivation of medicinal mushrooms on a large s…
The clinical impact of an extra virgin olive oil enriched mediterranean diet on metabolic syndrome: Lights and shadows of a nutraceutical approach
2022
For years it has been established that the only truly effective treatment of metabolic syndrome (MS) is lifestyle modification to prevent its cardiovascular (e.g., coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis), metabolic (e.g., diabetes mellitus), and hepatic (e.g., steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) complications. The focal points of this approach are to increase physical activity and intake of a diet characterized by high quantities of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, and low-fat dairy products, the so called mediterranean diet (MD); however, the added value of MD is the presence of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), a healthy food with a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids,…
Antioxidant activity of cactus pear fruits and bioavailability of betalan components in healthy humans
2008
Consumption of fruit and vegetables is now associated with protection against various pathologies, including cancer and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, in which oxidative damage is an important etiologic factor. Various compounds from plant food, acting independently of known nutrients and micronutrients, have appeared very important in protecting human health. Most of these components can act as antioxidants or affect redox-dependent cell activities involved both in physiological and pathological events. In this scenery fruits of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), and the characteristic betalain pigments have recently attracted the attention of researchers. While suggesting m…
The impact of chocolate on cardiovascular health
2011
Cardiovascular disease is the leading determinant of mortality and morbidity in women. Functional foods are attracting interest as potential regulators of the susceptibility to disease. Supported by epidemiological evidence, chocolate has emerged as a possible modulator of cardiovascular risk. Chocolate, or cocoa as the natural source, contains flavanols, a subclass of flavonoids. The latter years have witnessed an increasing number of experimental and clinical studies that suggest a protective effect of chocolate against atherogenesis. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial function define three biological mechanisms that have shown sensitivity to chocolate. Moreover, the consumpt…
Medicinal and aromatic plants in agricultural research, when considering criteria of multifunctionality and sustainability
2022
Over the last twenty years, agriculture has witnessed significant changes in terms of energy requirements, advanced technologies and practices. This is in response to the impacts of crop production on the climate and environment and increasing awareness of the importance of agricultural sustainability through organic farming. Agriculture encompasses complex production systems and certain aspects of multifunctionality and sustainability have become fundamental for these systems. Agricultural activity can provide various functions in agro-ecosystems, such as producing food, managing natural resources, and conserving landscape and plant biodiversity; contributing to the cultural, historical an…
Consumo de alimentos funcionales: factores determinantes
2019
El concepto de alimento funcional nació en Japón en 1991, y desde entonces ha sido objeto de estudio debido al gran crecimiento de mercado que ha experimentado esta categoría de producto en las últimas décadas (Arai, Osawa, Ohigashi, Yoshikawa, Kaminogawa, Watanabe, . . . Nishino, 2001). En líneas generales, podemos definir que un alimento se considera funcional si se demuestra que ejerce un efecto beneficioso sobre una o más funciones selectivas del organismo, además de sus efectos nutritivos intrínsecos, de modo que mejore el estado de salud y bienestar, reduzca el riesgo de enfermedad, o ambas cosas (Diplock, Agget,Ashwell, Bornet, Fern y Roberfroid, 1999). Ahora bien, el consumidor s…