Food & Function Blog

There is increasing evidence to show that dietary fatty acids play an important role in modulating hypertriglyceridemia in the postprandial state, which contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and stroke. In this review, by Francisco Muriana and colleagues, the potential of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and saturated fatty acids (SFA) to postprandially affect metabolic abnormalities related to chronic diseases is discussed.

It is highlighted that consuming a high fat diet rich in SFA could increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Consuming MUFA, primarily found in olive oil, leads to improved lipid tolerance and insulin action, whereas PUFA offers no additional benefits over MUFA.

To read the article in full for free, click the link below:

Dietary fatty acids linking postprandial metabolic response and chronic diseases, Almudena Ortega, Lourdes M. Varela, Beatriz Bermudez, Sergio Lopez, Rocio Abia and Francisco J. G. Muriana, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10085h

Scientists in Australia have investigated the intestinal passage of fish oil using radio labelling to track free or microencapsulated fish oil . Fish oil is of great interest due to its many beneficial health effects, which have been attributed to its high level of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.  The bioavailability of oils depends on many factors including their state of emulsification and whether they are delivered in the presence of food.

In this work, Mary Ann Augustin and co-workers compare the oral delivery of free (oil-water mixture) or microencapsulated (oil-in-water emulsion formulation) fish oil to rats, which were then either fed or were not fed after dosing. This was to establish whether access to food after dosing affects the release of the oil. It was observed that feeding after administration of oils increases the rate of progress of oil through the lumen and that microencapsulation delays the lumenal progression of oil in fed rats. Delivery via microencapsulated oil also resulted in increase in the level of radiolabel in the liver and blood which is consistent with an increased bioavailability of microencapsulated oil.

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Intestinal passage of microencapsulated fish oil in rats following oral administration, Mary Ann Augustin, Glen Patten, Anthony De Luca, Mahinda Abeywardena, Trevor Lockett, Richard Head and Luz Sanguansri, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10149h

Scientists in Israel have evaluated the literature surrounding oral food delivery systems. These delivery systems are used to protect foods enriched with bioactive ingredients as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and provide controlled targeted release of active compounds to the appropriate site.

In their review piece, Uri Lesmes and co-workers discuss carbohydrate-, protein- and lipid-based delivery systems and evaluate their benefits and limitations. It is highlighted that food grade delivery systems need to address the variety of physical and chemical processes of the human GIT by adopting a cutting edge pharmacological approach. Establishing structure–function relationships of food delivery systems and coping with the complexity of the digestive process are key factors for utilising the full potential of food delivery systems.

To view the full review article for free, please click below:

Development of oral food-grade delivery systems: Current knowledge and future challenges
Revital Cohen Benshitrit, Carmit Shani Levi, Sharon Levi, Eyal Shimoni and Uri Lesmes
Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10068h

Scientists in the US have looked into the mechanisms behind the protective effects of lowbush blueberries on cardiovascular disease. Lowbush blueberries have already been shown to inhibit the growth of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta of mice, however, the mechanism of this action is not fully understood.

In their paper, Xianli Wu and co-workers from Arkansas, US, found that when blueberries were incorporated into the diet at 1% they were capable of inhibiting expression of scavenger receptors CD36 and SR-A in peritoneal macrophages of apoE deficient mice. This was proposed to be due to the down-regulation of PPAR-gamma receptor and a reduction in its endogenous ligands. CD36 and SR-A scavenger receptors have been shown to play a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis.

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Lowbush blueberries inhibit scavenger receptors CD36 and SR-A expression and attenuate foam cell formation in ApoE-deficient mice, Chenghui Xie, Jie Kang, Jin-Ran Chen, Oxana P. Lazarenko, Matthew E. Ferguson, Thomas M. Badger, Shanmugam Nagarajanad and Xianli Wu, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10136f

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower have been associated with a decreased risk of gastrointestinal, lung and prostate cancers. In their recent review article, Johanna Lampe and colleagues from the US provide an update on the proposed mechanisms of action behind this observed cancer chemoprevention.

Vegetables from the Brassicaceae family (such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts) contain significant amounts of sulfur-containing glucosinolates which are converted to bioactive compounds such as indoles and isothiocyanates during digestion. It is these compounds which are thought to be responsible for the increased chemoprotective effects observed by cruciferous vegetable consumption compared to other fruits and vegetables.  It is concluded that a systems biology approach may help our understanding of these compounds because such a wide variety of isothiocyanates are produced from glucosinolates and there are many diverse pathways on which they act.

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Mechanisms of action of isothiocyanates in cancer chemoprevention: an update, Sandi Navarro, Fei Li and Johanna Lampe, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10114e

Scientists from Coimbra, Portugal, have investigated the anti-oxidant behaviour of a series of dietary chromone derivatives. Anti-oxidant compounds are important for our health because the balance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body has been linked to damage in DNA and proteins, which can thus result in cardiovascular diseases or cancer.

In this paper, the free radical scavenging ability of several chromone derivatives were investigated and a theoretical ab initio approach was used to help explain experimental results. The ring substitution patterns of the various chromones were found to be related to their anti-radical behaviour, whereas the chromone core by itself does not ensure radical scavenging activity. The structure–activity relationships (SARs) established during this study may assist the development of tailored novel compounds for the prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease in the future.

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Dietary chromones as antioxidant agents—the structural variable, M. M. Dias, N. F. L. Machado and M. P. M. Marques, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10098j