Food & Function Blog

Spanish scientists say increasing the amount of olive oil in your diet could reduce your risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Oleic acid is found in olives and olive oil ©Shutterstock

Sergio Lopez and co-workers from the Institute of Fat in Seville studied the connection between different types of dietary fat and blood glucose control in humans with normal and high fasting triglycerides. They found that unlike other dietary fatty acids, oleic acid, which is found in olive oil, helps to regulate insulin secretion and minimise spikes in blood sugar levels after meals…

To read the full article visit Chemistry World.

Link to the original article is below:

Clustering effects on postprandial insulin secretion and sensitivity in the response to meals with different fatty acid composition
Beatriz Bermudez, Almudena Ortega-Gomez, Lourdes M. Varela, Jose Villar, Rocio Abia, Francisco J.G. Muriana and Sergio Lopez  
Food Funct., 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4FO00067F, Paper

Issue 4 of Food & Function is now available to read online.

The front cover this month features work by Ashok R. Patel and co-workers from Gent, Belgium. In their work, they demonstrate three potential edible applications of shellac oleogels as (i) a continuous oil phase for preparation of emulsifier-free, structured without emulsions (spreads), (ii) a replacer for oil-binders in chocolate paste formulations and (iii) a shortening alternative for cake preparation.

Read the article in full – it’s free to access for the next six weeks: 
Edible applications of shellac oleogels: spreads, chocolate paste and cakes
Ashok R. Patel, Pravin S. Rajarethinem, Agnieszka Grędowska, Ozge Turhan, Ans Lesaffer, Winnok H. De Vos, Davy Van de Walle and Koen Dewettinck
Food Funct., 2014, 5, 645-652, DOI: 10.1039/C4FO00034J

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For Food & Function, the top 10 most accessed articles in February were as follows:

Nuts, especially walnuts, have both antioxidant quantity and efficacy and exhibit significant potential health benefits
Joe A. Vinson and Yuxing Cai  
Food Funct., 2012, 3, 134-140
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO10152A, Paper

Anti-inflammatory activity of natural dietary flavonoids
Min-Hsiung Pan, Ching-Shu Lai and Chi-Tang Ho   
Food Funct., 2010, 1, 15-31
DOI: 10.1039/C0FO00103A, Review Article

Hass avocado modulates postprandial vascular reactivity and postprandial inflammatory responses to a hamburger meal in healthy volunteers
Zhaoping Li, Angela Wong, Susanne M. Henning, Yanjun Zhang, Alexis Jones, Alona Zerlin, Gail Thames, Susan Bowerman, Chi-Hong Tseng and David Heber  
Food Funct., 2013, 4, 384-391
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30226H, Paper 

Transcription profiles of LPS-stimulated THP-1 monocytes and macrophages: a tool to study inflammation modulating effects of food-derived compounds
Wasaporn Chanput, Jurriaan Mes, Robert A. M. Vreeburg, Huub F. J. Savelkoul and Harry J. Wichers  
Food Funct., 2010, 1, 254-261
DOI: 10.1039/C0FO00113A, Paper

Black tea: chemical analysis and stability
Shiming Li, Chih-Yu Lo, Min-Hsiung Pan, Ching-Shu Lai and Chi-Tang Ho  
Food Funct., 2013, 4, 10-18
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30093A, Review Article

Characterization of polarized THP-1 macrophages and polarizing ability of LPS and food compounds
Wasaporn Chanput, Jurriaan J. Mes, Huub F. J. Savelkoul and Harry J. Wichers  
Food Funct., 2013, 4, 266-276
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30156C, Paper

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
DOI: 10.1039/C0FO00111B, Review Article

Effects of tea and coffee on cardiovascular disease risk
Siv K Bøhn, Natalie C Ward, Jonathan M Hodgson and Kevin D Croft  
Food Funct., 2012, 3, 575-591
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO10288A, Review Article

Prior supplementation with long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids promotes weight loss in obese adults: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial
Irene A. Munro and Manohar L. Garg  
Food Funct., 2013, 4, 650-658
DOI: 10.1039/C3FO60038F, Paper

Pomegranate: a fruit that ameliorates metabolic syndrome
Svjetlana Medjakovic and Alois Jungbauer  
Food Funct., 2013, 4, 19-39
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30034F, Review Article 

Take a look at the articles, and then let us know your thoughts and comments below.

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