Food & Function Blog

In a newly published Food & Function review, Garry Duthie and Adrian Wood have looked into the role of natural salicylates in disease prevention. Salicylates have been used as anti-inflammatories for over 5000 years, in particular the protective effects of acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) are well known. Due to these bioactive properties and associated health advantages, the salicylate compound class has gained significant interest from researchers.

In this review, the role of dietary salicylates is put into context in relation to disease prevention. It is highlighted that while dietary salicylates may have long term health benefits, the foods that salicylates are commonly found in (such as tomato-based sauces, fruit juice, tea, wine, and herbs) are also sources of a wide variety of other bioactive phenolic compounds, which equally may have beneficial qualities.

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

Natural salicylates: foods, functions and disease prevention
Garry G. Duthie and Adrian D. Wood, Food Funct., 2011,
DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10128e

Scientists from the UK have investigated the short-term effects of drinking coffee on heart rate and cardiovascular activity. Coffee (and other beverages including tea and some soft drinks) contain caffeine, a compound which is a stimulant and can therefore elicit reflex autonomic responses affecting the cardiovascular system.

In this study the heart rates of participants were monitored after drinking regular and decaffeinated coffee, and were shown to increase immediately after ingestion by decreasing both the diastolic interval and ejection time. This extended for 30 minutes. The results suggest that increased heart rate during the 30 min period following the intake of coffee is mainly due to parasympathetic withdrawal as opposed to increased sympathetic activity. This may help to explain the popularity of these bitter beverages and also provide a link between coffee consumption and coronary heart disease.

Click the link below to read the full article for free:

The immediate and short-term chemosensory impacts of coffee and caffeine on cardiovascular activity Michael McMullen, Julie Whitehouse, Gillian Shine, Peter Whitton and Anthony Towell, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10102a

Researchers from France have investigated how refining processes affect the lipotropic capacity of plant-based foods. Lipotropes – such as choline – are important compounds commonly found in vegetables, which prevent excess hepatic fat deposits by catalysing fat metabolism in the body. The lipotropic potential of bioactive phytochemicals from plant-based foods (PBF) has been much less studied and emphasised compared to other properties like antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory potentials. Yet, fatty liver is common to several chronic pathologies like steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis.

In this work, Anthony Fardet and co-workers aimed to estimate the effect of various technological processes on the lipotropic capacity and density of plant based foods. Results showed that overall, processing methods significantly reduced lipotropic capacity by approximately 20%, although fermentation was shown to be less drastic than thermal treatment.  Furthermore, results indicated that fermentation and canning may actually increase the lipotropic density.

To find out more, read the full article for free by following the link below:

Thermal and refining processes, not fermentation, tend to reduce lipotropic capacity of plant-based foods
Anthony Fardet, Jean-Francois Martin and Jean-Michel Chardigny, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10041f

Mark Lucock and co-workers from Australia have investigated the variation in bitter taste genetics and how this affects nutrient intake. Variations in taste perception can influence dietary preferences and therefore also influence nutrient intake. For example, the bitter taste of folate-rich cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage and broccoli) is thought to be linked to their unpopularity. Low consumption of these types of vegetables may increase the risk of developing adenomatous polyps/colorectal cancer, which are related to folate metabolism.  Recent research into bitter taste has focused on the TAS2R38 gene, variations in which are known to alter bitter perception.

In this work the relationship between variations in the TAS2R38 gene, red cell folate status as a model of folate-rich food consumption, and risk of developing polyps was investigated.  They demonstrated that bitter taste genetics interacted with red cell folate status to predict the occurrence of colonic adenomatous polyps, a recognised precursor of colon cancer.

To find out more, read the article in full for free by following the link below:

TAS2R38 bitter taste genetics, dietary vitamin C, and both natural and synthetic dietary folic acid predict folate status, a key micronutrient in the pathoaetiology of adenomatous polyps, Mark Lucock, Xiaowei Ng, Lyndell Boyd, Virginia Skinner, Ron Wai, Sa Tang, Charlotte Naylor, Zoe Yates, Jeong-Hwa Choi, Paul Roacha and Martin Veysey, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10054h

 Thomas Wolever and co-workers from Canada have studied the effect of preparation methods on the glycaemic index (GI) of novel potato clones designed to be low in GI. High GI diets are associated with increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, due to the rapid release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. While raw potato starch is resistant to digestive enzymes, cooked potato starch is easily digestible by enzymes and therefore has a high GI value (>70). Due to their high GI value, potatoes are often viewed as bad for our health.

In this study, variations in the GI value were observed when the potato clones were cooked, cooled and reheated, and the extent of this also varied for different clones. The results could potentially help to create new varieties of potatoes with low GI values, which would be beneficial for the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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

Effect of preparation method on the glycaemic index of novel potato clones, Tara Kinnear, Thomas M. S. Wolever, Agnes M. Murphy, J. Alan Sullivan, Qiang Liud and Benoit Bizimungu, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10042d