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PubMed2004

Modulation of Immune Functions by Foods.

Evidence is rapidly accumulating as to the beneficial effects of foods. However, it is not always clear whether the information is based on data evaluated impartially in a scientific fashion. Human research into whether foods modulate immune functions in either intervention studies or randomized controlled trials can be classified into three categories according to the physical state of subjects enrolled for investigation: (i) studies examining the effect of foods in healthy individuals; (ii) studies analyzing the effect of foods on patients with hypersensitivity; and (iii) studies checking the effect of foods on immunocompromized subjects, including patients who had undergone surgical resection of cancer and newborns. The systematization of reported studies has made it reasonable to conclude that foods are able to modulate immune functions manifesting as either innate immunity (phagocytic activity, NK cell activity) or acquired immunity (T cell response, antibody production). Moreover, improvement of immune functions by foods can normalize the physical state of allergic patients or cancer patients, and may reduce the risk of diseases in healthy individuals. Therefore, it is valuable to assess the immune-modulating abilities of foods by measuring at least one parameter of either innate or acquired immunity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

The influence of food additives and related materials on lower bowel structure and function.

Food additives, drugs, and other chemicals are known to influence the lower gastrointestinal tract under some defined conditions, resulting in morphological alterations in the mucosa and other tissues, deranged absorption and excretion of nutrients, and, in some cases, injury to other organs and tissues as a secondary phenomenon. Generally, in rats, hamsters, and dogs, there is increased absorption and urinary excretion of calcium, soft stools or diarrhea, and cecal enlargement. In the rat, hamster, and dog, renal lesions accompany the hypercalcemia and elevated excretion of calcium. These signs, symptoms, and lesions are typical of exposure to sugar alcohols (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol), lactose and caramel, some of the chemically modified food starches, and synthetic polydextrose. Soft stools and diarrhea, as well as cecal enlargement and variable hyperplasia of the colon mucosa, occur frequently when substances are absorbed incompletely in the small intestine and subjected to microbial metabolism in the cecum and colon. The remarkable cecal enlargement, mucosal hyperplasia and, when present, colonic mucosal hyperplasia are reversible, even when long-standing. Renal lesions are reversible only if exposure is of short duration, before significant mineralization and scarring has occurred. Morphological and functional anomalies associated with some of these substances are described and illustrated.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effect of food intake on cardiovascular control in patients with impaired autonomic function.

Food intake results in a variety of responses, with the autonomic nervous system playing an important role in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. In patients with autonomic failure, who have severe sympathetic impairment, food substantially lowers blood pressure even in the supine position. This is related to a marked increase in splanchnic blood flow, without compensatory changes in the rest of the circulation. Of the food components, glucose causes similar effects to food, while an isosmotic, isocaloric load of the inert carbohydrate, xylose, causes only a small fall in blood pressure. Lipid causes a small, short-lived fall in blood pressure and protein causes minimal change. Insulin appears to contribute to the fall in blood pressure, as bolus injections of insulin (even before ensuing hypoglycaemia), or insulin infusions (with an euglycaemic clamp), when given intravenously lower blood pressure. Other vasodilatatory gut peptides released by food may also play a role. The somatostatin analogue, Octreotide (SMS 201-995), which inhibits the release of a range of peptides, prevents both glucose and food-induced hypotension. Studies of the mechanisms responsible for post-prandial hypotension in autonomic failure continue to provide insight into the relationship between food intake and the hormonal, peptidergic and neural responses which affect the cardiovascular system.

Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1998

Prebiotics and synbiotics: concepts and nutritional properties.

The main role of diet is to provide enough nutrients to meet the requirements of a balanced diet, while giving the consumer a feeling of satisfaction and well-being. The most recent knowledge in bioscience supports the hypothesis that diet also controls and modulates various functions in the body, and, in doing so, contributes to the state of good health necessary to reduce the risk of some diseases. It is such an hypothesis which is at the origin both of the concept of 'functional food' and the development of a new scientific discipline of 'functional food science'. In the context of this paper the potential 'functional foods' to be discussed are the prebiotics and the synbiotics. The prebiotics developed so far are the non-digestible oligosaccharides and especially the non-digestible fructans among which chicory fructans play a major role. The chicory fructans are beta (2-1) fructo-oligosaccharides classified as natural food ingredients. They positively affect various physiological functions in such a way that they are already or may, in the future, be classified as functional food ingredients for which claims of functional effects or of disease risk reduction might become authorized. They are classified as prebiotic and have been shown to induce an increase in the number of bifidobacteria in human faecal flora. As part of a synbiotic-type product, they are already bifidogenic at a dose of 2.75 g/d and the effect lasts for at least 7 weeks. The other potential functional effects are on the bioavailability of minerals, but also, and more systemically, on the metabolism of lipids. Potential health benefits may concern reduction of the risk of intestinal infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and cancer. However, except for the prebiotic effect, and tentatively the improvement of calcium bioavailability, the evidence to support such effects is still missing in humans though hypotheses already exist to justify nutrition studies.

Bifidobacterium↗
PubMed2001

Market potential for probiotics.

"Functional foods" as a marketing term was initiated in Japan in the late 1980s and is used to describe foods fortified with ingredients capable of producing health benefits. This concept is becoming increasingly popular with consumers because of a heightened awareness of the link between health, nutrition, and diet. Food manufacturers are enthusiastic about developing such products because the added ingredients give increased value to food. The global market for functional foods in the coming years is predicted to grow rapidly. Although Japan currently accounts for about one-half of this market, the fastest rate of growth is expected to be in the United States. Probiotic products represent a strong growth area within the functional foods group and intense research efforts are under way to develop dairy products into which probiotic organisms such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are incorporated. Such probiotic foods may modulate gut microbial composition, thereby leading to improved gut health, for example, through improved tolerance to lactose in lactose-intolerant individuals or improved resistance to pathogenic bacteria. Large numbers of viable microorganisms are likely to be required in the food product, which should be consumed regularly to experience the health effect. The probiotic market, especially dairy products such as yogurts and fermented milks, has experienced rapid growth in Europe. The long-term exploitation of probiotics as health promoters is dependent on several factors, including sound, scientifically proven clinical evidence of health-promoting activity; accurate consumer information; effective marketing strategies; and, above all, a quality product that fulfills consumer expectations.

Bifidobacterium↗
PubMed2000

Current international approaches to food claims.

The market for functional foods is rapidly increasing. It is necessary to establish a legal framework for these foods. This has proved difficult in a number of countries. The control through health claims is generally accepted as the most appropriate measure. Activity in this area has been developing both at the national and international levels. However, the regulations and proposals from a number of national authorities and other nongovernmental sectors are varied and difficult to reconcile. This paper examines the range of health claim controls being used in the food area. They are considered in detail so as to establish a better understanding of the claims. In this paper, the claims have been classified into six categories: nutrient content claims, comparative claims, nutrient function claims, claims related to dietary guidelines or healthy diets, enhanced function claims, and reduction of disease risk claims. Of these, the latter four claims are considered to have significant implications for functional foods.

Food, Organic↗
PubMed2004

Modeling growth and reduction of microorganisms in foods as functions of temperature and time.

Food safety objectives (FSOs) are established in order to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses to consumers, but these have not yet been incorporated into regulatory policy. An FSO states the maximum frequency and/or concentration of a microbiological hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides an acceptable level of protection to the public and leads to a performance criterion for industry. However, in order to be implemented as a regulation, this criterion has to be achievable by the affected industry. In order to determine an FSO, the steps to produce and store that food need to be known, especially where they have an impact on contamination, growth, and destruction. This article uses existing models for growth of Listeria monocytogenes in conjunction with calculations of FSOs to approximate the outcome of more than one introduction of the foodborne organism throughout the food-processing path from the farm to the consumer. Most models for the growth and reduction of foodborne illnesses are logarithmic in nature, which fits the nature of the growth of microorganisms, spanning many orders of magnitude. However, these logarithmic models are normally limited to a single introduction step and a single reduction step. The model presented as part of this research addresses more than one introduction of food contamination, each of which can be separated by a substantial amount of time. The advantage of treating the problem this way is the accommodation of multiple introductions of foodborne pathogens over a range of time durations and conditions.

Food Handling↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Functional nutrition and optimal nutrition. Near or far?].

The concept of functional food, about which scientific agreement is still lacking, springs from the field of Optimum Nutrition, aimed at modifying genetic and physiological aspects of human life and at the prevention and treatment of a growing number of diseases, far beyond merely covering nutritional requirements. From the European Union perspective, functional foods can be natural as well as industrially processed foods. The leading functional foods regarding which the soundest scientific evidence exists are probiotics, live microbial food ingredients represented mainly by fermented dairy products. Prebiotics, such as inulin-type fructans, are the trophic substrate of probiotics and potential intestinal microflora selectors. The combination of prebiotics and probiotics is termed synbiotic. Innumerable substances are known to have functional effects: soluble and insoluble fiber, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, phenol derivatives, vitamins and other phytochemicals. Functional foods exert their actions on different systems, especially the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and immunological ones, acting too as enhancers of development and differentiation and positively modulating nutrient metabolism, gene expression, oxidative stress and the psychic sphere. The establishment of Health Claims must be firmly based upon scientific knowledge and legal regulation. Efficient biomarkers related to biological response must be found. Furthermore, it is essential to analyze possible diet or drug interactions as well as it is indispensable to conduct valid studies on humans. The prime objective must be the diet as a whole. Thus, the future challenge of a functional diet emerges.

Dietary Fiber↗
PubMed2006

Production and processing of soybeans and nutrition and safety of isoflavone and other soy products for human health.

Functional foods are intended to help consumers reduce or manage the risks for certain diseases while maintaining body function and structure. Functional foods are regulated differently depending upon the country. For example, the United States has not defined the term functional food in regulation. Thus, functional foods are treated just like conventional foods for obtaining regulatory safety approval. However, the sales of soy products, soy-enriched foods, and dietary supplements have grown tremendously during the past 3 years because of the increasing consumer awareness of soy as a healthy food ingredient. Isoflavones in soy are believed to have preventive effects for several hormone-dependent diseases, mainly due to their weak estrogenic activity. This mini-review discusses some of the important issues to be considered in using soy and isoflavone products as health foods, including production, composition, products, and processing of soy products, and the fate of isoflavones during processing, their bioavailability, and safety. Some of these issues may affect the choice of raw or basic material sources, processing conditions, quality control procedures/measures, and marketing strategies for both soy-based foods and isoflavones.

Biological Availability↗
PubMed2004

The basis for setting the upper range of adequate intake for regulation of macronutrient intakes, especially amino acids.

The comparison of actual intakes of essential amino acids to the dietary reference intakes indicates that amino acid supply is likely not a public health concern in industrialized countries. This fact does not preclude the interest in specific amino acid intake in some physiological or pathological situations in targeted subgroups of the population. Thus, the addition of amino acids to some food vehicles to create functional foods will be regulated by public authorities in different ways according to the regulatory contexts specific to each country. The main issues to be considered are, however, the same: safety of the product and justification of the health claim accompanying the product's promotion. In addition to classical scientific data, the use of Monte Carlo simulations can be a useful tool to support the choice of the food vehicle and the amounts added to this food, and to demonstrate both safety and possible efficacy of the functional food in the targeted population.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2005

Protective effect of Premna tomentosa extract (L. verbanacae) on acetaminophen-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in rats.

Allurement of herbs as health beneficial foods (physiologically functional foods) and as a source material for the development of new drugs, has led to greater furtherance in the study of herbal medicines during recent years. Plant extracts are being utilized to treat a wide variety of diseases like hepatotoxicity. Premna tomentosa is one such medicinal plant used widely in Indian ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of liver disorders. This study appraised the effectiveness of P. tomentosa leaf extract in protecting the liver against mitochondrial damage induced by acetaminophen, since mitochondrial injury has been investigated as a potential initiator of hepatotoxicity. Normal Wistar strain rats were pre-treated with P. tomentosa extract (750 mg/kg, orally) for 15 days and then intoxicated with acetaminophen (640 mg/kg, orally). Mitochondria were isolated from liver of experimental animals and assessed for the levels of lipid peroxide products, GSH and mitochondrial enzymes (isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha-keto glutarate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, NADH dehydrogenase and cytochrome-C-oxidase). The levels of Lipid peroxidation products were increased and the levels of the other assessed parameters were significantly decreased in hepatotoxicity induced animals. Whereas, the levels were brought back to normal in P. tomentosa pre-treated rats, which shows the protective effect of the extract against mitochondrial damage. Presence of anti-oxidant compound D-limonene (58%) in P. tomentosa leaves, which is known to enhance conjugation of toxic metabolites by maintaining liver GSH concentrations may explain the hepatoprotective property of the extract.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed2005

Beyond the olfactory bulb: an odotopic map in the forebrain.

We report electrophysiological evidence that a simple odotopy, the spatial mapping of different odorants, is maintained above the level of the olfactory bulb (OB). Three classes of biologically relevant odorants for fish are processed in distinct regions of the forebrain (FB) in the channel catfish. Feeding cues, mainly amino acids and nucleotides, are represented in lateral, pallial portions of the FB, equivalent to the olfactory cortex of amniote vertebrates, whereas social signals mediated by bile salts are represented in medial FB centers, possibly homologous to portions of the amygdala. As in the OB, the different odorant classes map onto different territories; however, the response properties of units of the olfactory areas of the FB do not simply mirror those of the OB. For some units, distinctive response properties emerged, because the FB is the first center where odors subserving a common behavioral function (i.e., food function) converge.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cancer Chemoprevention by Phytochemicals and their Related Compounds.

Cancer chemoprevention by phytochemicals may be one of the most feasible approaches for cancer control. For example, phytochemicals obtained from vegetables, fruits, spices, teas, herbs and medicinal plants, such as carotenoids, phenolic compounds and terpenoids, have been proven to suppress experimental carcinogenesis in various organs. These candidates should be evaluated by intervention studies, before acceptance as cancer preventive agents for human application. Phytochemicals may also be useful to develop "designer foods" or "functional foods" for cancer prevention. We are now planning animal foods, such as meats, eggs and milk, which contain anti-carcinogenic phytochemicals. In prototype experiments, expression of genes for synthesis of phytochemicals, such as phytoene and limonene, has been successful in cultured animal cells.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of nutrient delivery on gut structure and function.

Food is an important stimulus for the growth of gastrointestinal mucosa. Gut structure is influenced by the route of nutrient administration, dietary composition and the availability of specific nutrients. The alterations in intestinal structure and function that occur when enteral nutrition is withheld suggests that the ingestion of food results in physiologic responses that are responsible for the maintenance of gut mass during the fed state. The mechanism of mucosal suppression that occurs during starvation, stress, and total parenteral nutrition is not completely understood but may involve the absence of luminal substrates, decreased pancreaticobiliary secretions and alterations in the endocrine or paracrine events that normally accompany eating, digestion, and absorption. Enterocytes prefer glutamine and ketone bodies as oxidative fuels, whereas colonocytes utilize short chain fatty acids. Although enteral delivery of nutrients is the preferred route for maintenance of intestinal mass, provision of specific nutrients and hormonal stimulation during parenteral alimentation has been shown to be important in maintaining mucosal structure and function. If not adequately maintained, the intestine becomes susceptible to a variety of injuries which may result in impaired ability to digest and absorb nutrients and loss of mucosal barrier function.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Functional properties of edible mushrooms.

Edible mushrooms such as shiitake may have important salutary effects on health or even in treating disease. A mushroom characteristically contains many different bioactive compounds with diverse biological activity, and the content and bioactivity of these compounds depend on how the mushroom is prepared and consumed. It is estimated that approximately 50% of the annual 5 million metric tons of cultivated edible mushrooms contain functional "nutraceutical" or medicinal properties. In order of decreasing cultivated tonnage, Lentinus (shiitake), Pleurotus (oyster), Auricularia (mu-er), Flammulina (enokitake), Tremella (yin-er), Hericium, and Grifola (maitake) mushrooms have various degrees of immunomodulatory, lipid-lowering, antitumor, and other beneficial or therapeutic health effects without any significant toxicity. Although the data for this functional food class are not as strong as those for other functional foods such as cruciferous vegetables, because of their potential usefulness in preventing or treating serious health conditions such as cancer, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and hypercholesterolemia, functional mushrooms deserve further serious investigation. Additionally, there is a need for epidemiological evidence of the role of this functional food class.

Food↗
PubMed2001

Physical exercise and/or enriched foods for functional improvement in frail, independently living elderly: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of an exercise program and an enriched food regimen on physical functioning of frail elderly persons. DESIGN: A 17-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty-seven independently living frail elderly (mean age, 78.7 +/- 5.6yr). INTERVENTION: Thirty-nine subjects participated in a twice weekly group exercise designed to improve daily functioning; 39 subjects daily ate foods enriched with vitamins and minerals (at 25%-100% of the recommended daily allowances); 42 subjects exercised and ate enriched foods; and 37 subjects served as controls. Nonexercising groups followed a social program; nonsupplement groups received the same food products without the micronutrients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional performance based on 6 performance tests, physical fitness based on 7 fitness tests, and disabilities based on the self-reported ability to perform 16 daily activities. RESULTS: Performance sum scores were significantly enhanced in trained (+8%) compared with nontrained subjects (-8%) (difference in change: 1.9 points, p < .001, adjusted for baseline scores). Fitness sum scores were significantly enhanced as well (+3% in trained vs -2% in nontrained) (difference in change: 0.9 points, p = .05, adjusted for baseline scores). No exercise effects on the disability score were observed. Consumption of enriched products did not affect performance, fitness, or disability scores. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive exercise program, designed for widespread applicability, enhanced physical performance and fitness in a population of frail elderly. Daily consumption of micronutrient enriched foods showed no functional benefits within 17 weeks.

Activities of Daily Living↗