Phytonutrients
Parimelazhagan Thangaraj in Medicinal Plants, 2018
Phytonutrients literally mean ‘plant nutrients’. These phytonutrients are a large group of plant-derived compounds with particular biological activities in supporting human health, hypothesized to be responsible for much of the disease protection conferred from diets high in fruits and vegetables. Scientists have identified thousands of different phytonutrients, found in vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. This concept primarily refers to the phytonutrients which act as modifiers of physiological function. When compared with concepts like functional foods, dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, phytonutrients emphasise the natural bioactive compounds from plants that provide general health benefits to humans more specifically, which become closer to or even overlap with phytomedicines. The wide application of phytonutrients indicates that nutrition science has advanced beyond the treatment of deficiency syndromes to reduce disease risk. No longer are food nutrients evaluated only in terms of macronutrient and micronutrient levels, as contents of some biologically active compounds are becoming more essential.
An Overview of Molecular Nutrition
Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat in Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
During the course of absorption, phytochemicals such as polyphenols are conjugated in the small intestine and later in the liver. This process mainly includes methylation, sulfation, and glucuronidation. This is a metabolic detoxication process common to many xenobiotics that restricts their potential toxic effects and facilitates their biliary and urinary elimination by increasing their hydrophilicity. Quercetin, catechin, caffeic acid, and luteolin are some of the polyphenols known to undergo this metabolism process. Dietary fiber is generally associated with phytonutrients in plant foods. Fiber may stimulate intestinal fermentation, which could influence the production of particular microbial metabolites. Hydroxy-cinnamic acids, which are naturally esterified in foods and thus cannot be absorbed in the small intestine, depend upon colonic microflora to break the ester bonds to allow for absorption in the large intestine. And the flavonoid, rutin, is complexed with the polysaccharide rhamnose. This linkage prevents absorption from occurring until colonic microflora can break the rhamnose molecule.
Raw veganism
Carlo Alvaro in Raw Veganism, 2020
Cooking enables the consumption of foods that are inherently indigestible or toxic. However, cooking is in no way beneficial to humans. For example, enzymes are important for proper digestion. Unfortunately, they are heat sensitive, which means that cooking at temperatures over 117°F (47°C) deactivates enzymes.32 Cooking also deactivates and destroys water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, B; minerals and vitamin A are also lost during cooking.33 Phytonutrients are natural chemical compounds contained in plants; they are what give fruits and vegetables their characteristic color. These chemicals protect the body and fight diseases.34 Phytonutrients in freshly harvested plant foods can be destroyed or removed by cooking.35 Cooking food, especially starchy food, can cause the formation of acrylamides, which are substances that have the potential to cause cancer.36 Furthermore, there is a growing body of science indicating that raw food diets have the potential to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, can help turn off the gene Chromosome 9p21, which is the most potent genetic associations with heart disease, improve mental and emotional quality of life. On the other hand, cooked foods, which are by definition high in proteins, tend to shorten one’s life.37
Mechanisms of Phytonutrient Modulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and Inflammation Related to Cancer
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2018
Shreena J. Desai, Ben Prickril, Avraham Rasooly
Phytonutrients are plant nutrients with specific biological activities with potential benefits to human health, including disease prevention. Among these activities, modulation of inflammation is an essential element of cancer. Cancer patients are among the most frequent users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, including phytonutrients, with about 40% of individuals undergoing cancer treatment using some form of CAM (1). Out of these 40%, the most common reasons for using CAM include helping patients feel better or reducing symptoms or side effects, and support of conventional biomedicine (2). Other uses include treating or reducing the risk of disease recurrence, mitigating adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and improving overall health, quality of life, and well-being (3). Among the many uses of CAM for cancer, anti-inflammatory applications are perhaps the most important. Inflammation is closely linked to cancer, and reducing or eliminating inflammation may lead to better strategies for cancer prevention and therapy (4).
Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals as Dietary Intervention in Chronic Diseases; Novel Perspectives for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018
Pollution, cigarette smoke, stress, illness, and even exercise can increase free radical exposure; hence, the need for antioxidants becomes more critical (Rakesh et al., 2010; Shukla et al., 2016). Regular consumption of foods that are naturally high in antioxidants such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, and herbal seasonings help improve body antioxidant status thereby fighting against degenerative diseases (Adefegha and Oboh, 2013). Thus, there is a need to shift from the nutritional aspect of food to functional foods, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements as forms of dietary remedy in various human pathologies (Olaiya et al., 2016). Research has shown that some of these foods, as part of an overall healthful diet, can delay the onset of many age-related diseases as a result of high levels of antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Phytonutrients, otherwise known as phytochemicals, are compounds found in plants. They play a crucial role in protecting plants from predators and keeping the plant healthy.
Phytonutrient Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2/NSP5-Encoded Main Protease (Mpro) Autocleavage Enzyme Critical for COVID-19 Pathogenesis
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2023
Sreus A. G. Naidu, Yamini B. Tripathi, Priya Shree, Roger A. Clemens, A. Satyanarayan Naidu
Due to their natural origin and therapeutic benefits, phytonutrients may be considered potent antioxidants capable of neutralizing or scavenging harmful free radicals, modulate several oxidative stress-mediated signaling pathways and protect cellular systems. Phytonutrients from Cat’s claw (Cadambine & Epiafzelechin-4β-8-epicatechin) and Ayurvedic medicinal herb ‘Tulsi’ (Isorientin 4′-O-glucoside) are potential Mpro inhibitors (51, 52), as well as active regulators of COX-mediated inflammatory pathways (53–55)
Related Knowledge Centers
- Biological Activity
- Carotenoid
- Chemical Compound
- Polyphenol
- Traditional Medicine
- Flavonoid
- Metabolism
- Plant Virus
- Nutrient
- Health Claim