scholarly journals Effects of Apricot and Apricot Kernels on Human Health and Nutrition: A Review of Recent Human Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-162
Author(s):  
Hawar Jawdat Jaafar

Plants are one of the most important sources of medicine for humans to face diseases and disorders. Despite some advances in the field of allopathic system of medicine, adverse reactions have not been prevented from being an integral part of modern medicine. Plants are one of the important sources of drug discovery in both modern and traditional medicine systems worldwide. Recent developments in food and nutrition, consumer preferences shifted to foods rich in nutraceuticals. Furthermore 70% of marketed drugs are either natural or semisynthetic materials which derived from plants. Most literature on complementary alternative medicine worldwide either reports the nature of phytocomponents in medicinal plants or shows a mechanistic basis for their pharmacological activities. The medicinal and therapeutic effect of apricot has not been studied so far. In this review, an attempt has been made highlight the importance of apricot and its kernel in human health and nutrition by summarizing the literature reports published to date. Apricot exhibited diversified effects on degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and hemostasis, at the same time has many pharmacological effects such as anti-parasitic, anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis, renoprotective, hepatoprotective and antioxidant have been reported.

2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Eggersdorfer ◽  
Paul Walter

Nutrition is important for human health in all stages of life - from conception to old age. Today we know much more about the molecular basis of nutrition. Most importantly, we have learnt that micronutrients, among other factors, interact with genes, and new science is increasingly providing more tools to clarify this interrelation between health and nutrition. Sufficient intake of vitamins is essential to achieve maximum health benefit. It is well established that in developing countries, millions of people still suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. However, it is far less recognized that we face micronutrient insufficiencies also in developed countries.


1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-480
Author(s):  
Krys Bottrill

Recent developments in biomarkers relating to the interrelationship of diet, disease and health were surveyed. Most emphasis was placed on biomarkers of deleterious effects, since these are of greatest relevance to the subject of this review. The area of greatest activity was found to be that relating to biomarkers of mutagenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. This is also one of the major areas of concern in considerations of the beneficial and deleterious effects of dietary components, and also the area in which regulatory testing requires studies of the longest duration. A degree of progress has also been made in the identification and development of biomarkers relating to certain classes of target organ toxicity. Biomarkers for other types of toxicity, such as immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and developmental toxicity, are less developed, and further investigation in these areas is required before a comprehensive biomarker strategy can be established. A criticism that recurs constantly in the biomarker literature is the lack of standardisation in the methods used, and the lack of reference standards for the purposes of validation and quality control. It is encouraging to note the growing acknowledgement of the need for validation of biomarkers and biomarker assays. Some validation studies have already been initiated. This review puts forward proposals for criteria to be used in biomarker validation. More discussion on this subject is required. It is concluded that the use of biomarkers can, in some cases, facilitate the implementation of the Three Rs with respect to the testing of food chemicals and studies on the effects of diet on health. The greatest potential is seen to be in the refinement of animal testing, in which biomarkers could serve as early and sensitive endpoints, in order to reduce the duration of the studies and also reduce the number of animals required. Biomarkers could also contribute to establishing a mechanistic basis for in vitro test systems and to facilitating their validation and acceptance. Finally, the increased information that could result from the incorporation of biomarker determinations into population studies could reduce the need for supplementary animal studies. This review makes a number of recommendations concerning the prioritisation of future activities on dietary biomarkers in relation to the Three Rs. It is emphasised, however, that further discussions will be required among toxicologists, epidemiologists and others researching the relationship between diet and health.


Author(s):  
Titik Istirokhatun ◽  
Ita Tetriana Agustini ◽  
Sudarno Sudarno

The  presence  of  air  pollution  in  ambient  air  is  closely  related  to  the incidence  of  adverse reactions affecting human health. One of harmful pollutants and potentially major cause health problems is sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). The number of vehicles that are passing and queuing on the crossroads  because  of  traffic light can  affect  the  concentration  of  SO 2 .  Besides,  in  these locations  there  are a lot of road users  which  are  potentially  exposed  by  contaminants, so information about the concentration of SO 2  is important to know. This study aimed to investigate the  impact  of  meteorological  factors  and  the  number  of vehicles  on  SO 2   concentrations. Impinger was used for air sampling, and pararosaniline method was used for determining SO 2  concentration. Sampling and calculation  of the number of passing vehicles were performed 3 times ie in the morning, afternoon and evening. Based on the results of the study, the highest concentrations of SO 2  were on the range of 15-21 mg/Nm3.


2021 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinesh Kumar Patel

Background: Natural products and their derived phytochemicals have been used in the medicine and gaining importance in the modern medicine due to their therapeutic potential and health beneficial effect on human disorders. Plenty of herbal drug based products are available in the market and playing an important role in the human health care system due to their health beneficial properties in human being. In the modern age we can find many herbal based products in the market mainly prepared from the natural products and used for the prevention and treatment of various human disorders. Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are the important class of alkaloidal compounds and the better example are morphine, codeine, sanguinarine, berberine and canadine which are mainly known for their medicinal value in the medicine. Methods: Hydrastis canadensis is the important medicinal plant found to contain a significant amount of canadine, hydrastine and berberine. In the present investigation, numerous scientific databases such as Google, Pubmed, Science direct etc. have been searched to collect the important scientific information of canadine and analyzed to know the health beneficial aspect of canadine in the medicine. All the collected scientific information data’s were analyzed and have been categorized into mainly pharmacological and analytical aspects. Results: From the analysis of the collected scientific information, it was found that Hydrastis canadensis contain significant amount of canadine with many more phytochemical including canadaline, hydrastidine, isohydrastidine etc. Pharmacological activity data analysis revealed the biological importance of Hydrastis canadensis in the medicine for their traditional uses against gastritis, colitis, duodenal ulcers, loss of appetite, liver disease, bile secretion disorder, snake bites and vaginitis in the medicine. However, scientific data analysis of canadine revealed their effectiveness for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-allergic activity and anti-oxidant activity. Different modern analytical tools have been used in the modern medicine for the isolation and quantification of canadine in the Hydrastis canadensis. Conclusion: Present investigation revealed the medicinal importance and pharmacological activities of a canadine in the medicine for the treatment of numerous human health complications. These scientific data will be helpful to the scientist to know the biological importance of canadine in the medicine against various forms of human complications.


Author(s):  
Julia A. Wolfson ◽  
Amelia M. Willits-Smith ◽  
Cindy W. Leung ◽  
Martin C. Heller ◽  
Donald Rose

Shifting consumer behavior towards more sustainable diets can benefit environmental sustainability and human health. Although more frequent home cooking is associated with a better diet quality and fast-food consumption with worse diet quality, the environmental impact of diets based on frequency of cooking or eating fast food is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the frequency of cooking dinner at home or eating fast food is associated with dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). We linked 24-h dietary recall data from adult respondents in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (N = 11,469) to a database of GHGE factors to obtain a measure of dietary GHGE (kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal) (the sum of emissions released in the production of food for an individual’s diet), adjusted by energy intake (kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal). We examined associations between frequency of cooking dinner (the only meal for which cooking frequency was measured), frequency of eating fast food, and dietary GHGE and protein sources (beef, pork, poultry, other meat, and fish and seafood (g/2000 kcal)) using generalized linearized regression models that controlled for age, sex, and other socio-economic characteristics. Greater cooking frequency was associated with higher dietary GHGE. In fully adjusted models, cooking 5–6 times/week was associated with an additional 0.058 kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal (SE 0.033) and cooking 7 times/week was associated with an additional 0.057 kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal (SE 0.027) when compared to cooking 0–2 times/week. Individuals in households who cooked dinner more frequently consumed significantly more meat, poultry, and fish (cooking 7 times/week: 148.7 g/2000 kcal vs. cooking 0–2 times/week: 135.4 g/2000 kcal, p-trend = 0.005), which could explain the association with a higher carbon footprint diet. There were few associations of note between fast-food frequency and GHGE. Policies and interventions that reduce consumption of meat and increase consumption of plants when both cooking meals at home and eating meals out are needed to shift toward diets that will be beneficial for both human health and the health of the planet.


Author(s):  
Olesya Sergeevna Yakubova ◽  
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Mizhueva

The paper presents the current prospects for the development of the fish gelatin market, the advantages the new product over conventional gelatin made of the livestock raw material. The results of a survey of 150 respondents on the specific consumer preferences for fish gelatin, a new structural agent for the food and nutrition industries have been analyzed. The main preferences for choosing fish gelatin are: safety; assortment of food products containing gelatin; shape of the new ingredient; packaging; price. It has been found that 60% of respondents prefer gelatin made in Russia. 79% of respondents expressed a desire to consume food products with fish gelatin meeting the Halal principles. Based on the study, a portrait of the average consumer of fish gelatin was formed: gender - female; age - from 18 to 49 years old; occupation - workers and students; scope of activity - provision of services; confession - Christianity and Islam; consumption of gelatin-containing products - several times a month; preferences - cakes and pies, desserts, jellied meat; preferred shape - powdered gelatin produced in Russia with net weight 100 g, packaged in polymer bags; aware of the existence of fish gelatin; unaware of prion diseases; consumes Halal compliant products; wants to eat foods with safe fish gelatin that are compliant with halal principles; willing to pay a higher price for fish gelatin compared to conventional gelatin. The data obtained allow to form a strategy for promoting a new food regulator of consistency in the regional market.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari ◽  
Abouali Vedadhir ◽  
Maryam Shokouhi ◽  
Ali Milani Bonab

Abstract Background Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new thinking about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the dimensions of a sustainable diet among the determinants of people's food choices. Methods This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30-64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data gathering, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously and from the beginning of the research, and for managing and organizing the data, the MAXQDA 10 software was used. Results In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: "Health and Nutrition", "Food and Agriculture Security", "Environment and Ecosystems", "Markets, food trade and production chains", "social, cultural, and policy factors" were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the "Health and Nutrition" domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains "food and agriculture" and "environment and ecosystems" had the lowest role among the statements of the participants in this study. Conclusion considering to the low importance of the dimensions of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.


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