scholarly journals Contribution of plant food bioactives in promoting health effects of plant foods: why look at interindividual variability?

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (S2) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Morand ◽  
Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán
Keyword(s):  
Health Effects ◽  
Interindividual Variability ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Plant Food ◽  
Health It ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Nutritional Needs ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Actual Contribution

Abstract Purpose Research has identified plant-based diets as the most protective for our health; it is now essential to focus on good food associations and the beneficial constituents in plant foods. From a growing body of evidence, some categories of food phytochemicals are increasingly considered to play a crucial role in the cardiometabolic health effects associated with plant food consumption. However, the heterogeneity in responsiveness to plant food bioactive intake that is frequently observed in clinical trials can hinder the identification of the effects of these compounds in specific subpopulations and likely lead to underestimating their actual contribution to the health effects of their food sources. Results The magnitude and the main factors responsible for this between-subject variation in response to the consumption of the major families of food phytochemicals have been poorly documented so far. Thus, research efforts in this area must be developed. More importantly, capturing the interindividual variability in response to plant food bioactive intake, together with identifying the main determinants involved, is a crucial step that will enable the development and production of plant food products, thereby satisfying the nutritional needs and conferring benefits to different categories of populations. Conclusion The development of a science-based personalised nutrition approach focusing on plant foods rich in specific bioactive compounds could contribute to alleviating the dramatic burden of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

The Opossum Problem: Implications for Human-Wildlife Competition over Plant Foods

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Prey Choice ◽  
Plant Food ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Interspecies Competition ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Distributions ◽  
Food Network

The Opossum Problem refers to the infrequent presence of opossum remains, relative to raccoon and squirrel remains, in sites in the eastern United States. The presence or absence of opossum remains is seen to be part of a larger pattern in prey selection in which hunting helped to reduce interspecies competition over plant foods. Spatial and temporal distributions of sites with opossum remains suggest that opossum was not selected as prey prior to ca A.D. 1000 because it did not participate to any significant degree in a plant food network used by people. After ca A.D. 1000 opossum were selected as prey because their activities as a persimmon predator rendered them a competitive threat. Human hunting patterns and prey choice may be better understood by considering how they affect human access to plant food sources.

Vitamin A Value of Plant Food Provitamin A - Evaluated by the Stable Isotope Technologies

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangwen Tang
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Provitamin A ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Plant Food ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
A Value ◽  
Provitamin A Carotenoids ◽  
Β Carotene

Humans need vitamin A and obtain essential vitamin A by conversion of plant foods rich in provitamin A and/or absorption of preformed vitamin A from foods of animal origin. The determination of the vitamin A value of plant foods rich in provitamin A is important but has challenges. The aim of this paper is to review the progress over last 80 years following the discovery on the conversion of β-carotene to vitamin A and the various techniques including stable isotope technologies that have been developed to determine vitamin A values of plant provitamin A (mainly β-carotene). These include applications from using radioactive β-carotene and vitamin A, depletion-repletion with vitamin A and β-carotene, and measuring postprandial chylomicron fractions after feeding a β-carotene rich diet, to using stable isotopes as tracers to follow the absorption and conversion of plant food provitamin A carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) in humans. These approaches have greatly promoted our understanding of the absorption and conversion of β-carotene to vitamin A. Stable isotope labeled plant foods are useful for determining the overall bioavailability of provitamin A carotenoids from specific foods. Locally obtained plant foods can provide vitamin A and prevent deficiency of vitamin A, a remaining worldwide concern.

scholarly journals Main drivers of (poly)phenols effects on human health: metabolites production and(or) gut microbiota-associated metabotypes?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos E. Iglesias-Aguirre ◽  
Adrián Cortés-Martín ◽  
María Á. Ávila-Gálvez ◽  
Juan Antonio Gimenez Bastida ◽  
Maria Victoria Selma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Endothelial Function ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Interindividual Variability ◽  
Effect Relationship ◽  
Metabolites Production

Despite the high human interindividual variability in response to (poly)phenols consumption, the cause-effect relationship between some dietary (poly)phenols (flavanols and olive oil phenolics) and health effects (endothelial function and prevention...

Ground-Stone Tools and Hunter-Gatherer Subsistence in Southwest Asia: Implications for the Transition to Farming

1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine I. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Plant Food ◽  
Southwest Asia ◽  
Processing Methods ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Ground Stone ◽  
Early Farming ◽  
Wild Cereals

Ground-stone tools and hunter-gatherer subsistence in late Pleistocene southwest Asia are examined in light of ethnographic and experimental data on processing methods essential for consumption of various plant foods. In general, grinding and pounding appear to be labor-intensive processing methods. In particular, the labor required to make wild cereals edible has been widely underestimated, and wild cereals were unlikely to have been “attractive” to foragers except under stress conditions. Levantine ground-stone tools were probably used for processing diverse plants. The earliest occurrence of deep mortars coincides with the glacial maximum, camp reoccupations, the onset of increasingly territorial foraging, and the earliest presently known significant samples of wild cereals. Two major episodes of intensification in plant-food processing can be identified in the Levant, coinciding respectively with the earliest evidence for sedentism (12,800-11,500 B.P.) and the transition to farming (11,500-9600 B.P.). The latter episode was characterized by rising frequencies of grinding tools relative to pounding tools, and suggests attempts to maximize nutritional returns of plants harvested from the limited territories characteristic of sedentary foraging and early farming. This episode was probably encouraged by the Younger Dryas, when density and storability of foods may have outweighed considerations of processing costs.

Abstract MP72: Feasibility, Safety and Acceptability of Soy-Based Diet for Pregnant Women: Preliminary Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Shi ◽  
Vidya Iyer ◽  
Errol Norwitz ◽  
Tiffany A Moore Simas ◽  
Nirupa Matthan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Cardiometabolic Risk ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Whole Foods

Introduction: Previous evidence suggests that soy containing foods may have beneficial effects on lipid and glycemic metabolism due to their biologically active components, including soy protein and isoflavones. Pregnancy is associated with changes in glucose and lipid metabolism, partially attributable to elevated estrogen concentrations. We have previously reported a significant, inverse association between urinary excretion of isoflavones and cardiometabolic risk markers in pregnant women, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Further studies are needed to determine the cardiometabolic health effects of soy intake in pregnant women. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that consumption of soy-based whole foods is safe and acceptable for pregnant women and has beneficial cardiometabolic health effects. Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in 30 pregnant women who received counseling to consume either a high-soy or low-soy foods containing diet. Assessments (physical and anthropometric measurements, food frequency questionnaires, fasting blood samples) were conducted at 14 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, and 6 weeks’ postpartum. Monthly follow-up calls were conducted by research team coordinator to assess safety and encourage adherence. Results: Both the high-soy and low-soy groups demonstrated high adherence (80-90%), defined as consuming soy foods ≥ 15 days in the past four weeks for high-soy group and ≤ 5 days for low-soy group. Five subjects in the high-soy group reported adverse events (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy mouth); all were transient and resolved without sequelae. No adverse events were reported in the low-soy group. Skinfold thickness decreased (-4.8 mm) in the high-soy group and increased (+3.6 mm) in the low-soy group (p=0.04). There was a trend towards lower BMI in the high-soy compared to low-soy group at 28 weeks (+1.4 vs. +3.6 kg/m 2 , respectively, p=0.15) and postpartum (-1.2 vs. +0.6 kg/m 2 , respectively, p=0.14). This decrease in BMI was predominantly a loss of body fat and not lean mass. There were no significant differences between groups in fasting glucose, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, or VLDL concentrations. Conclusions: In conclusion, results from this pilot RCT support the acceptability and safety of consuming soy-based whole foods during pregnancy. A larger-scale RCT is needed to further elucidate the effects of soy-based foods on cardiometabolic risk factors during pregnancy, as well as the transgenerational effects on their offspring.

scholarly journals Contamination of food with cadmium and dioxins – influence on the human body

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Słojewska ◽  
Izabela Gutowska
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Bone Mineralization ◽  
The Body ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Hormonal Balance ◽  
Small Doses ◽  
Contaminated Food

Introduction: Food is a carrier of many pollutants nowadays. For cadmium and dioxins, it is the main source of these compounds in the general population. Hence, the aim of this work was to collect data on the health effects associated with exposure to cadmium and dioxins which get into the human body through food.Materials and methods: A literature review was conducted by searching the scientific Medline database (PubMed) and Google Scholar.Results: Health effects associated with a long-term exposure to low doses of cadmium and dioxins may be nonspecific and are rarely attributed to food sources. These may cause disorders affecting hormonal balance, kidney function, lipid metabolism, fertility, cognitive function, bone mineralization, and susceptibility to diseases and allergies. These compounds may also lead to cancer development.Conclusions: The general population faces the problem of longterm exposure to small doses of these substances due to their accumulation in the body, even if their amounts do not exceed the relevant standards. The health effects of this type of exposure may be significantly delayed and are not likely to be attributed to the consumption of contaminated food. Consumers wishing to reduce the amounts of these compounds delivered to the body should limit the consumption of grilled and smoked products, and should also opt for organic food.

scholarly journals Dietary fat intake – food sources and dietary correlates in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 559-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Mattisson ◽  
Elisabet Wirfält ◽  
Carin Andrén ◽  
Bo Gullberg ◽  
Göran Berglund
Keyword(s):  
Disease Risk ◽  
Meat Products ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Nutrient Intakes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Fat Consumption ◽  
Diet And Cancer

AbstractObjectives:To identify food sources of fat, to compare food and nutrient intakes at different levels of relative fat intake, and to examine the contribution of different food groups to the variation in relative fat intake. Relative fat intake was expressed as energy contributed by fat in percentage of non-alcohol energy.Design:Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. An interview-based diet history method, a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used to obtain data. Analysis of variance compared food and nutrient intakes across quintiles of relative fat intake. Stepwise regression examined the contribution of food groups to the variation in relative fat intake.Setting:Baseline examinations were conducted between 1991 and 1996 in the city of Malmö, southern Sweden.Subjects:A sub-sample of 7055 women and 3240 men of the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort.Results:The major fat sources were dairy products, margarines, meat & meat products, and cakes & buns. Most plant foods, especially fruit, vegetables and breakfast cereals, were negatively associated with fat intake. Low fat consumers had significantly higher intakes of dietary fibre, vitamin C, β-carotene, folic acid, iron, zinc and calcium. Intakes of all types of fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins were positively associated with fat consumption.Conclusions:The results suggest that many food groups and nutrients may confound the associations between relative fat intake and disease. Plant foods, especially, are important to consider in studies of fat intake and disease risk.

scholarly journals Dietary fatty acid intake, its food sources and determinants in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (12) ◽  
pp. 2261-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna E. Vyncke ◽  
Lars Libuda ◽  
Tineke De Vriendt ◽  
Luis A. Moreno ◽  
Myriam Van Winckel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Dietary Fatty Acids ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Lipid Status ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Total Fat ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Dietary Fatty Acid Intake

Dietary fatty acids (FA) play a role in several (patho)physiological processes at any age, and different FA have different effects on lipid status and health outcome. The present study aims to describe the FA intake and its main food sources in a population of healthy European adolescents and to assess the variation in intake as a function of non-dietary factors. FA intake was assessed with 24 h recall interviews in 1804 adolescents aged 12·5–17·5 years. Usual intakes were calculated using the multiple source method. Multilevel analyses, adjusting for study centre, were used to investigate the influence of non-dietary factors. The mean total fat intake was 33·3 (sd 1·2) % of total energy intake (%E). The mean SFA intake was 13·8 (sd 1·2) %E, with 99·8 % of the population exceeding the recommendations. SFA was mainly delivered by meat and cake, pies and biscuits. In most adolescents, the PUFA intake was too low, and 35·5 % of the population did not achieve the minimum recommended intake for α-linolenic acid (ALA). The main determinants of FA intake in the present study population were age and sex, as well as physical activity in the male subgroup. No contributions of body composition, socio-economic status or sexual maturation to the variance in FA intake were observed. In conclusion, the most important public health concerns regarding FA intake in this adolescent population were the low intake of ALA and the high intake of SFA, mainly seen in the younger-aged boys. In this group the major contributor to SFA was meat.

The nutritive value of some selected Tanzanian plant food sources

1993 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. V. Mnembuka ◽  
B. O. Eggum
Keyword(s):  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Plant Food
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