Food & Function Blog

Polyphenol compounds have previously been shown to have many health benefits including anticancer activity. However, the role of colonic microbiota in degrading dietary polyphenols is attracting great interest due to the potential health benefits associated with the bioactive catabolites (substances produced during destructive metabolism) absorbed into the circulatory system.

In this work, Alan Crozier and colleagues from Glasgow, UK, have investigated the aromatic compounds that result from colonic catabolism of Concord grape juice using an in vitro model of colonic fermentation. After consuming the grape juice substantial quantities of (poly)phenolic compounds reach the large intestine, where they are degraded to bioactive phenolic acids and aromatic compounds, which pass through the circulatory system before being excreted in the urine. The in vivo fate of these catabolites following absorption in the colon was also investigated by GC-MS. It was found that 40% of ingested (poly)phenolic compounds in Concord grape juice pass from the small to the large intestine and contributes to the increased bioavailabilty of the Concord grape polyphenolics.

To read the full article for free until the 1st November, please click the link below:

Colonic catabolism of dietary phenolic and polyphenolic compounds from Concord grape juice, Angelique Stalmach, Christine A. Edwards, Jo Lynne D. Wightman and Alan Crozier, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo30151b

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Chronic vascular inflammation, induced by pathogenic bacterial or viral infection, or non-pathogenic factors such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol) plays an important part in the development of atherosclerosis and related conditions. In the process of vascular inflammation the vascular endothelial cells form a monolayer covering the inner surface of the blood vessels, which plays an important role in regulation. Curcuminoids have been extensively investigated for their antiinflammatory activity, however, the involvement of microRNAs in this activity is not well understood.

In this article by Susanne Mertens-Talcott and co-workers in the US, the antiinflammatory effects of curcuminoids has been investigated. The protective effects of standardized curcuminoid extract (SCE) on vascular inflammation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was studied and the mechanistic involvement of microRNAs in their antiinflammatory activity was assessed. Inflammation was induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysacharides and it was shown that curcuminoids protect HUVEC from inflammation-induced TLR-4 signalling and expression of cell adhesion molecules through mechanisms not involving microRNA-146a or microRNA-126.

To read the article in full for free until 17th October, click on the link below…

Standardized curcuminoid extract (Curcuma longa l.) decreases gene expression related to inflammation and interacts with associated microRNAs 1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), Gabriela Angel-Morales, Giuliana Noratto and Susanne Mertens-Talcott, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo30023k

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Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), found in ground beef extract, has been reported to show many beneficial health effects including anticancer activity and anti-obesity behaviour. The mechanism for the anti-obesity activity of CLA and its isomers is thought to involve an increase in energy expenditure, reduced adipocyte number and size, and an increase in lipolysis. However, the full mechanism and the influence of CLA isomers is not fully understood.

In this work, Yeonhwa Park and co-workers from the US investigated the effect of CLA on voluntary physical activity in an animal model using young N2KO mice. It was found that CLA improves voluntary physical activity in the animal model and reduced body fat by reducing serum triglyceride levels and down-regulatin mRNA expressions of C/EBPaand leptin. These findings suggest that dietary CLA could prevent inactivity-induced obesity, which may in turn prevent weight gain. The work could provide a foundation for future clinical trials using CLA for obesity prevention.

Look out for the story in Chemistry World!

Read the full article for free until the 12th October:

Preventive effects of conjugated linoleic acid on obesity by improved physical activity in nescient basic helix-loop-helix 2 knockout mice during growth period, Jun Ho Kim, Darla Gilliard, Deborah J. Good and Yeonhwa Park, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo30103b

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It is well known that maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is important for weight management and controlling obesity. However, obesity and related diseases such as type-2 diabetes are reaching epidemic proportions – trebling in Europe over the past 20 years. There are drug-based treatments available to control obesity and appetite, but these are often associated with adverse side-effects. Therefore the possibility to develop functional foods which are both nutritionally beneficial and also aid weight management is highly desirable.

Peptides produced by enteroendocrine cells in the gastrointestinal tract have been shown to be important bioactive ingredients in functional foods because they regulate feed intake and satiety. In this Food & Function review by Linda Giblin and co-workers from Ireland, the interaction of functional foods with these cells are discussed in the context of developing foods with positive health benefits for obesity. The abilty of food components to modulate hormonal signals from gastrointestinal enteroendocrine cells are covered, including areas such as satiety signalling, incretin signalling and mechanisms of nutrient sensing.

To find out more, read the article for free until 2nd October by clicking the link below:

The effects of food components on hormonal signalling in gastrointestinal enteroendocrine cells, Christine M. Bruen, Fiona O’Halloran, Kevin D. Cashman and Linda Giblin, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30086A

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Lipid digestion has been widely studied because of its impact on human health and the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, ethical issues make in vivo human studies difficult, therefore, numerous in vitro digestion models have been developed which mimic the conditions in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). Dairy calcium has been shown to affect fat lipolysis and can reduce body weight and LDL cholesterols. However, the mechanism by which calcium lowers the blood cholesterol remains unclear.

In this work, Slavka Tcholakova and co-workers have developed a simple in vitro model for triglyceride (TG) lipolysis which mimics closely the conditions in the human stomach and small intestine. In this new model the pH profile in the small intestine is closely matched to real conditions using a bicarbonate buffer and the experimental procedure does not include complex equipment. In their study the proposed in vitro model was used to assess the effects of Ca2+, pH, and bicarbonate on the degree of TG lipolysis and on the solubilization of the lipolysis products and cholesterol in the aqueous phase. The model is also appropriate for studying other phenomena making it a versatile tool for studying the lipid-related phenomena occurring in the gastrointestinal tract.

Read the article for free until 18th September by clicking the link below:

In vitrostudy of triglyceride lipolysis and phase distribution of the reaction products and cholesterol: effects of calcium and bicarbonate, Zahari Vinarov, Liliya Petrova, Slavka Tcholakova, Nikolai Denkov Denkov, Simeon D. Stoyanov and Alex Lipse, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo30085k

You may also be interested in this review article, also free to access:

Review of in vitro digestion models for rapid screening of emulsion-based systems, David Julian McClements and Yan Li, Food Funct., 2010, 1, 32-59

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Carotenoids, highly pigmented compounds found in various foods such as carrots, tomatoes and apricots, have received a lot of attention recently due to their natural antioxidant properties. Because of their highly conjugated polyene structures these compounds act as singlet oxygen quenchers and radical scavengers and play an important role in the prevention of oxidative stress, which in turn prohibits the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, unlike phenolic antioxidants, carotenoids do not have a reactive hydrogen to donate to a radical, which makes it difficult for conventional probes to assess the radical scavenging capacity of these compounds. Therefore a deeper understanding of the radical scavenging mechanism is required.

In this work, scientists from Osaka, Japan, have investigated the radical scavenging capacity of commercial tomato juice and two major carotenoids (b-carotene and lycopene). By taking into account the strong light absorption of carotenoids in the visible spectrum the authors developed a technique using the bleaching of carotenoids by free radicals in the presence of a reference antioxidant, a-tocopherol. Their results show that the free-radical scavenging activity of carotenoids is aproximately a tenth of a-tocopherol in model systems and commercial tomato juice.

Read the full article for free until 11th September by clicking the link below:

Capacity of peroxyl radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation by b-carotene, lycopene, and commercial tomato juice, Mizuki Takashima, Mototada Shichiri, Yoshihisa Hagihara, Yasukazu Yoshida and Etsuo Niki, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30119A.

You may also be interested in the following article published in Food & Function earlier this year:

Xanthones as antioxidants: A theoretical study on the thermodynamics and kinetics of the single electron transfer mechanism, Ana Martínez, Elizabeth Hernández-Marin and Annia Galano, Food Funct., 2012, 3, 442-450

You can keep up to date with the latest developments from Food & Function by signing up for free table of contents alerts and monthly e-newsletters.

In this study the effect of a major quercetin metabolite on gene expression of macrophages was investigated to elucidate the molecular mechanism behind the beneficial effects of flavonoids on cardiovascular disease. Macrophages (white blood cells within tissues), due to their recently discovered plasticity, are thought to play a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis and quercetin has been implicated in inflammation modulation in humans through mechanisms involving macrophages. 

In this work classical (M1) and alternative (M2a) macrophages were exposed to quercetin-3-O-glucuronide (Q3GA – the main human metabolite of the flavonoid quercetin) and gene expression was monitored after an incubation period. Q3GA was able to reduce the transcription of genes from M2a macrophages involved in inflammation showing that Q3GA positively influences inflammation-related gene expression in macrophages at low concentration. Also, as quercetin is a flavonoid, the observations reported in this work could explain the previously observed anti-atherogenic effects of diets rich in flavonoids.

To read the article for free until 4th September, please click the link below:

Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide affects the gene expression profile of M1 and M2a human macrophages exhibiting antiinflammatory effects, Eleonora Derlindati, Margherita Dall’Asta, Diego Ardigo, Furio Brighenti, Ivana Zavaroni, Alan Crozier and Daniele Del Rio, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo30127j

You may also be interested in this review which is also FREE to access:

Anti-inflammatory activity of natural dietary flavonoids, Min-Hsiung Pan, Ching-Shu Lai and Chi-Tang Ho, Food Funct., 2010,1, 15-31

You can keep up to date with the latest developments from Food & Function by signing up for free table of contents alerts and monthly e-newsletters.

Diets rich in soy protein and soy peptides are reported to be beneficial for weight loss, improved insulin resistance and endothelial function, and reduced blood pressure and blood lipid levels. This artice, recently published in Food & Function from a team in Korea is the first to show the beneficial effects of black soy protein in people maintaining a normal lifestyle.

In this double-blind human trial, participants in the test group were given 4.5 g of black soy protein a day for 12 weeks. It was found that after 12 weeks of supplementation the test group had significant reductions in weight, BMI and body fat mass compared to the placebo group which presented no change. Even after only 6 weeks, the test group showed significant reduction in both BMI and body weight. Additionally, it was revealed that leptin levels were significantly reduced in the test group. This association between leptin and black soy intake could help explain the observed weight-loss activity, as leptin is a vital hormone linked to obesity which regulates energy intake, expenditure, appetite and metabolism.

To read the full paper for free, please click on the link below:

Weight reduction effects of a black soy peptide supplement in overweight and obese subjects: double blind, randomized, controlled study, Jung Hyun Kwak, Chang-Won Ahn, Soo-Hyun Park, Sung-Ug Jung, Byung-Jung Min, Oh Yoen Kim and Jong Ho Lee, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo10244g

You may also be interested in this Food & Function article which is free to access:

A comparison of satiety, glycemic index, and insulinemic index of wheat-derived soft pretzels with or without soy, Amber L. Simmons, Carla K. Miller, Steven K. Clinton and Yael Vodovotz, Food Funct., 2011,2, 678-683

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Low vitamin D status has been suggested to contribute to the development of several chronic diseases. However, controlled studies have ruled out any link between vitamin D insufficiency and conditions such as arterial hypertension, multiple sclerosis or metabolic disorders. The uncertainty about the actual role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases has increased recently as  conditions such as chronic pain and  gastrointestinal dysfunction were suggested to be linked to vitamin D deficiency. The belief that many of these diseases could be prevented or cured by vitamin D has created a hype about the beneficial effects of supplemental vitamin D. However, in reality, high doses of vitamin D can cause serious health problems because of the U-shaped dose–response relationships.

In this review, Meinrad Peterlik from Medical University of Vienna, Austria, summarizes the evidence surrounding the link between intake of vitamin D and chronic diseases. While many people praise vitamin D as a remedy for many diseases, sceptics say that vitamin D could only be useful for the prevention of osteoporosis. He summarises that the truth may lie in between these extremes as there is evidence from clinical studies indicating that vitamin D in combination with calcium could also protect from other diseases such as colorectal and breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

To read the review in full for free until , please click the link below:

Vitamin D insufficiency and chronic diseases: hype and reality, M. Peterlik, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo10262e

You may also be interested in the article below, also free until

Stability and bioavailability of vitamin D nanoencapsulated in casein micelles, Michal Haham, Sophia Ish-Shalom, Marina Nodelman, Irit Duek, Elena Segal, Marina Kustanovich and Yoav D. Livne, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO10249H

You can keep up to date with the latest developments from Food & Function by signing up for free table of contents alerts and monthly e-newsletters.

Image courtesy of Thinkstock

Radiation is often used to treat people with cancer when surgery is not an option. However, using radiation treatment may cause side effects that result from radiation-induced damage to normal tissue. Therefore radioprotective compounds, which can selectively protect normal tissues against radiation injury, are of great interest because not only can they protect the normal tissue, they also allow the use of higher doses of radiation therapy. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been shown to display radioprotective effects, and is the subject of a Food & Function review by Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga and co-workers from Karnataka and New Delhi, India.

In their review, the team highlight that ginger and its phytochemicals dehydrozingerone and zingerone possess radioprotective effects in in vitro tests. The mechanism of this action is proposed to be due to the free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clastogenic effects which may contribute towards the observed radioprotection. The observation that zingerone was selective in protecting only the normal cells and not the melanoma cells indicates its potential attractiveness for clinical development.

To read the article in full for free until 21st June, click the link below:

Radioprotective effects of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Ginger): past, present and future, Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, Raghavendra Haniadka, Manisha Maria Pereira, Karadka Ramdas Thilakchand, Suresh Raob and Rajesh Arora, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo10225k