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Topic Review
Bitter Melon in Breast and Gynecological Cancer
Bitter melon, bitter gourd, karela, or Momordica charantia, is a vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, which is widely cultivated in Asian, African, and South American countries. More precisely, it is a rich source of phytochemicals and has the highest nutritional value among cucurbits. Its biological activity may be mainly attributed to its major chemical constituents: cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, cucurbitane-type triterpene glycosides and their aglycones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, essential oils, lectins, amino acids, goyasaponins, sterols, as well as several proteins. The proportion of these chemical constituents varies, depending on the different varieties of bitter melon, the different origins and cultivation conditions, or the harvest times. Bitter melon extract and its active ingredients have been extensively studied in diverse cell line-based and animal models and reported to exhibit promising effects on the chemoprevention and therapy of skin, brain, oral, lung, liver, colon, stomach, blood, prostate, renal, and pancreatic cancers. The molecular mechanisms of cancer prevention and therapy do not seem to differ among the different cancer entities, with bitter melon enhancing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production, modulating the cell membrane, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, causing epigenetic modifications, as well as interacting with the DNA, the RNA, or numerous proteins.
  • 988
  • 20 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Sicana odorifera Naudim Vell. Seeds By-Products
The “Kurugua” (Sicana odorifera) is a native fruit that demonstrates attractive nutritional, coloring, flavoring, and antioxidant properties. The main by-products from the processing and consumption of kurugua fruit are epicarp and seeds.
  • 985
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia is a significant threat to public health worldwide and the identification of its pathogenic mechanisms, as well as novel lipid-lowering agents, are warranted. Magnesium (Mg) is a key element to human health and its deficiency has been linked to the development of lipid abnormalities and related disorders, such as the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or cardiovascular disease.
  • 984
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Prebiotics and Allergy
Allergic diseases now affect over 30% of individuals in many communities, particularly young children, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies in early life. These allergic conditions have been linked to environmental and lifestyle changes driving the dysfunction of three interdependent biological systems: microbiota, epithelial barrier and immune system. While this is multifactorial, dietary changes are of particular interest in the altered establishment and maturation of the microbiome, including the associated profile of metabolites that modulate immune development and barrier function. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially influence the health of the host by 1) acting as a fermentable substrate for some specific commensal host bacteria leading to the release of short-chain fatty acids in the gut intestinal tract influencing many molecular and cellular processes; 2) acting directly on several compartments and specifically on different patterns of cells (epithelial and immune cells). Nutrients with prebiotic properties are therefore of central interest in allergy prevention for their potential to promote a more tolerogenic environment through these multiple pathways. 
  • 984
  • 25 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Childhood Obesity
Obesity is a chronic recurrent disease related to excessive fat tissue accumulation that presents a risk to health. The diagnosis of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity is usually based on the measurement of high and weight, calculation of weight-to-length ratio in children below the age of 5 years and body mass index (BMI) in older children.
  • 983
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Metabolic Role of Ketogenic Diets in Treating Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a long-term neurological condition that results in recurrent seizures. Approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy have drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The ketogenic diet (KD) is considered an effective alternative treatment for epileptic patients. 
  • 983
  • 14 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Nutrient Profiling Models
A nutrient profiling model (NPM) was developed in 2005 in the UK to regulate the marketing of foods to children. It was revised in 2018, but the new version has not been finalised. The Eatwell Guide (EWG) is the UK’s official food-based dietary guidelines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between the 2005 and 2018 versions of the NPM and the EWG. Using recent National Diet and Nutrition Surveys, we estimated the healthiness of individual diets based on an EWG dietary score and a NPM dietary index. We then compared the percentage of agreement and Cohen’s kappa for each combination of the EWG score and NPM index across the range of observed values for the 2005 and 2018 versions. A total of 3028 individual diets were assessed. Individuals with a higher (i.e., healthier) EWG score consumed a diet with, on average, a lower (i.e., healthier) NPM index both for the 2005 and 2018 versions. Overall, there was good agreement between the EWG score and the NPM dietary index at assessing the healthiness of representative diets of the UK population, when a low cut-off for the NPM dietary index was used, irrespective of the version. This suggests that dietary advice to the public is broadly aligned with NPM-based food policies and vice-versa.
  • 982
  • 16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Adzuki Bean Alleviates Obesity
Adzuki bean consumption has many health benefits, but its effects on obesity and regulating gut microbiota imbalances induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) have not been thoroughly studied. Mice were fed a low-fat diet, a HFD, and a HFD supplemented with 15% adzuki bean (HFD-AB) for 12 weeks. Adzuki bean supplementation significantly reduced obesity, lipid accumulation, and serum lipid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels induced by HFD. It also mitigated liver function damage and hepatic steatosis. In particular, adzuki bean supplementation improved glucose homeostasis by increasing insulin sensitivity. In addition, it significantly reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota imbalances. Adzuki bean significantly reduced the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B); enriched the occurrence of Bifidobacterium, Prevotellaceae, Ruminococcus_1, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, Alloprevotella, Muribaculum, Turicibacter, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Lachnoclostridium; and returned HFD-dependent taxa (Desulfovibrionaceae, Bilophila, Ruminiclostridium_9, Blautia, and Ruminiclostridium) back to normal status. PICRUSt2 analysis showed that the changes in gut microbiota induced by adzuki bean supplementation may be associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, sulfur, and cysteine and methionine; and LPS biosynthesis; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation. 
  • 982
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Nutrition during Pregnancy and Lactation
A woman’s nutritional status during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not only critical for her health, but also for that of future generations. Nutritional requirements during pregnancy differ considerably from those of non-pregnant women. Thus, a personalized approach to nutritional advice is recommended. Currently, some countries recommend routine supplementation for all pregnant women, while others recommend supplements only when necessary. Maternal physiological adaptations, as well as nutritional requirements during pregnancy and lactation, will be reviewed in the literature examining the impacts of dietary changes. All of these data have been studied deeply to facilitate a discussion on dietary supplement use and the recommended doses of nutrients during pregnancy and lactation. 
  • 981
  • 09 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Micronutrient Food Supplements and Cancers
Colorectal carcinogenesis is the second most common cause of mortality across all types of malignancies, followed by hepatic and stomach cancers. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are key approaches to treating cancer patients, but these carry major concerns, such as a high risk of side effects, poor accessibility, and the non-selective nature of chemotherapeutics. A number of natural products have been identified as countering various forms of cancer with fewer side effects. The potential impact of vitamins and minerals on long-term health, cognition, healthy development, bone formation, and aging has been supported by experimental and epidemiological studies. Successful treatment may thus be highly influenced by the nutritional status of patients. An insufficient diet could lead to detrimental effects on immune status and tolerance to treatment, affecting the ability of chemotherapy to destroy cancerous cells.
  • 978
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Zinc Supplementation on Nutritional Status in CKD
Zinc is one of the most important and essential trace elements required by all living organisms for many physiologic functions, with three major biological roles catalytic, structural and regulatory ones. It is the second most abundant metal in mammalian tissues, after iron, with almost 90% of that found in muscle and bone. Likewise, the cellular Zn2+ concentrations are nearly as high as those of major metabolites like the ATP. Zinc is an essential cofactor that influences the expression and activity of numerous enzymes, transcription factors and regulatory proteins.
  • 977
  • 19 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Combine Spirulina platensis and Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most prevalent diseases globally. The highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) involves combining various types of antiretroviral drugs that are dependent on the infected person’s viral load. HAART helps regulate the viral load and prevents its associated symptoms from progressing into acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Despite its success in prolonging HIV-infected patients’ lifespans, the use of HAART promotes metabolic syndrome (MetS) through an inflammatory pathway, excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial dysfunction. Interestingly, Spirulina platensis (SP), a blue-green microalgae commonly used as a traditional food by Mexican and African people, has been demonstrated to mitigate MetS by regulating oxidative and inflammatory pathways. SP is also a potent antioxidant that has been shown to exhibit immunological, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. 
  • 976
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Natural Mineral Spring Waters
Natural mineral spring waters are rich in different territories in most world areas. The waters have saline compositions that reflect their geological origin and are used for human health (often under medical prescription). However, scarce scientific attention has been dedicated to the use of these waters for athletes.
  • 973
  • 04 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Curcuma Longa
Due to the global increase in lifespan, the proportion of people showing cognitive impairment is expected to grow exponentially. As target-specific drugs capable of tackling dementia are lagging behind, the focus of preclinical and clinical research has recently shifted towards natural products. Curcumin, one of the best investigated botanical constituents in the biomedical literature, has been receiving increased interest due to its unique molecular structure, which targets inflammatory and antioxidant pathways. These pathways have been shown to be critical for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and more in general for cognitive decline. Despite the substantial preclinical literature on the potential biomedical effects of curcumin, its relatively low bioavailability, poor water solubility and rapid metabolism/excretion have hampered clinical trials, resulting in mixed and inconclusive findings. In this review, we highlight current knowledge on the potential effects of this natural compound on cognition. Furthermore, we focus on new strategies to overcome current limitations in its use and improve its efficacy, with attention also on gender-driven differences.
  • 972
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Skeletal Muscle and Vitamin D
Vitamin D, unlike the micronutrients, vitamins A, E, and K, is largely obtained not from food but by the action of solar ultraviolet light on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, in skin. With the decline in UV light intensity in winter, most skin production of vitamin D occurs in summer. Since no defined storage organ or tissue has been found for vitamin D, it has been assumed that an adequate vitamin D status in winter can only be maintained by oral supplementation. Skeletal muscle cells have now been shown to provide an extravascular conservation site for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which cycles between blood and muscle accounting for its long residence time in blood. In winter, this conservation mechanism appears to be upregulated by parathyroid hormone; a process that appears to have evolved to maintain adequate vitamin D status when vitamin D supply falls.
  • 971
  • 17 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Nutrition in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with a chronic or recurrent clinical course, characterized by phases of exacerbation and remission. The clinical presentation has a heterogeneous phenotypic spectrum, characterized by gastrointestinal and extraintestinal manifestations, with atypical or non-specific symptoms. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the most typical conditions in this spectrum, and they differ in anatomical location and type of lesions. The etiology is multifactorial, and to date, the prevailing hypothesis is that an abnormal mucosal immunological response is triggered against ubiquitous antigens, such as the resident bacterial flora, in genetically predisposed individuals. However, since the 1970s, in the pathogenesis of IBD diseases, there has been an increase in the number of diagnoses, especially in industrialized countries, thus highlighting the potential role of environmental factors, such as lifestyle and dietary habits, the interaction between diet and the susceptibility to gene variants, abnormal gut microbiota and altered immune response.
  • 970
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Ω-3) confer cardiovascular (CV) benefits through Triglyceride (TG) reduction, anti-inflammatory and anti-arrhythmic effects, vasodilation, reduced blood pressure, improved arterial and endothelial function, favorable autonomic tone, and reduced platelet aggregation
  • 969
  • 21 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Thymus baicalensis Plant of Mongolian Origin
Thymus baicalensis is a medicinal plant recognized as a traditional Mongolian therapeutic and health-promoting food supplement. 
  • 969
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Gastrointestinal Hormones' Functions in Obesity
Food ingestion triggers several physiological responses in the digestive system, including the release of gastrointestinal hormones from enteroendocrine cells that are involved in appetite signalling. Disturbed regulation of gut hormone release may affect energy homeostasis and contribute to obesity.   
  • 969
  • 15 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Resistant Starches and Non-Communicable Disease
Resistant starch (RS) is the starch fraction that eludes digestion in the small intestine. RS is classified into five subtypes (RS1–RS5), some of which occur naturally in plant-derived foods, whereas the others may be produced by several processing conditions. The different RS subtypes are widely found in processed foods, but their physiological effects depend on their structural characteristics.
  • 965
  • 22 Sep 2021
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