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Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 23915

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Juscelino Tovar

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Guest Editor

Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Interests: starch; dietary fibre; nutrition; dietary prevention; functional foods; metabolic syndrome; cardiometabolic prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Anne Nilsson

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Guest Editor

Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Interests: dietary fiber; cognitive function; metabolic regulation; whole grain; rye; dietary prevention; diet intervention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Oswaldo Hernandez-Hernandez

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Guest Editor

CSIC-UAM - Instituto de Investigacion en Ciencias de la Alimentacion (CIAL), Madrid, Spain
Interests: carbohydrates; sweeteners; analytical chemistry; product development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal failure, collectively called cardiometabolic diseases, are major causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. These conditions often appear as a consequence of physiopathological changes associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. It is generally accepted that the adoption of a diet based on intelligent food choices constitutes one of the main lifestyle modifications that reduce cardiometabolic risk.

Current dietary recommendations for people at high cardiometabolic risk encompass quantitative and qualitative changes in the intake of fat and carbohydrates, as well as increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Besides those general guidelines, the number of particular foods and ingredients with the identified potential ability to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases has increased notably in the last few decades, and there are examples of applying these type of items in the formulation of commercial functional foods. However, further cardiometabolic-protective foods are yet to be recognized and characterized in terms of their functional composition, mechanisms of action, and clinical usefulness.

This Special Issue welcomes original research, literature reviews, and meta-analysis articles covering the characterization of traditional and novel functional ingredients, foods and mixed diets with cardiometabolic risk-reducing effect. We particularly invite papers addressing compositional aspects, in vitro and in vivo investigations of mechanisms of action, and efficacy evaluation in intervention studies. Articles dealing with beneficial effects of functional foods on energy intake regulation and cardiometabolic-related cognitive decline will also be considered.

Prof. Juscelino Tovar
Dr. Anne Nilsson
Dr. Oswaldo Hernandez-Hernandez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Appetite regulation
Cardiometabolic risk markers
Cardiovascular disease
Chronic renal failure
Dietary interventions
Functional foods
Functional ingredients
Obesity
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 6132 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flavonoids as Human Intestinal α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

by Elizabeth Barber, Michael J. Houghton and Gary Williamson

Foods 2021, 10(8), 1939; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081939 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 7883

Abstract

Certain flavonoids can influence glucose metabolism by inhibiting enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion and suppressing intestinal glucose absorption. In this study, four structurally-related flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol, quercetagetin and galangin) were evaluated individually for their ability to inhibit human α-glucosidases (sucrase, maltase and isomaltase), and were compared with the antidiabetic drug acarbose and the flavan-3-ol(−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Cell-free extracts from human intestinal Caco-2/TC7 cells were used as the enzyme source and products were quantified chromatographically with high accuracy, precision and sensitivity. Acarbose inhibited sucrase, maltase and isomaltase with IC₅₀ values of 1.65, 13.9 and 39.1 µM, respectively. A similar inhibition pattern, but with comparatively higher values, was observed with EGCG. Of the flavonols, quercetagetin was the strongest inhibitor of α-glucosidases, with inhibition constants approaching those of acarbose, followed by galangin and kaempferol, while the weakest were quercetin and EGCG. The varied inhibitory effects of flavonols against human α-glucosidases depend on their structures, the enzyme source and substrates employed. The flavonols were more effective than EGCG, but less so than acarbose, and so may be useful in regulating sugar digestion and postprandial glycaemia without the side effects associated with acarbose treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects)

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18 pages, 2995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A High Amylose Wheat Diet Improves Gastrointestinal Health Parameters and Gut Microbiota in Male and Female Mice

by See Meng Lim, Jocelyn M. Choo, Hui Li, Rebecca O’Rielly, John Carragher, Geraint B. Rogers, Iain Searle, Sarah A. Robertson, Amanda J. Page and Beverly Muhlhausler

Foods 2021, 10(2), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020220 - 21 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2998

Abstract

High amylose wheat (HAW) contains more resistant starch than standard amylose wheat (SAW) and may have beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health. However, it is currently unclear whether these effects differ according to the level of HAW included in the diet or between males and females. Male and female C57BL/6 mice (n = 8/group/sex) were fed SAW65 (65% SAW; control), HAW35 (35% HAW), HAW50 (50% HAW) or HAW65 (65% HAW) diet for eight weeks. Female but not male, mice consuming any amount of HAW exhibited accelerated gastric emptying compared to SAW65 group. In both sexes, relative colon weights were higher in the HAW65 group compared to SAW65 group and in females, relative weights of the small intestine and cecum were also higher in the HAW65 group. In females only, colonic expression of Pyy and Ocln mRNAs were higher in the HAW65 group compared to HAW35 and HAW50 groups. In both sexes, mice consuming higher amounts of HAW (HAW50 or HAW65) had increased fecal bacterial load and relative abundance of Bacteroidetes phylum and reduced relative abundance of Firmicutes compared to SAW65 group. These data are consistent with a beneficial impact of HAW on gastrointestinal health and indicate dose-dependent and sex-specific effects of HAW consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects)

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15 pages, 4775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protective Effect of Prunus mume Fermented with Mixed Lactic Acid Bacteria in Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis

by Jeong-Ho Kim, Yeong-Seon Won, Hyun-Dong Cho, Seong-Min Hong, Kwang-Deog Moon and Kwon-Il Seo

Foods 2021, 10(1), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10010058 - 29 Dec 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3077

Abstract

The fruit of Prunus mume (PM) is widely cultivated in East Asia, and it has been used as a folk medication for gastrointestinal disorders, e.g., diarrhea, stomach ache and ulceration. In this study, the pectinase-treated PM juice (PJ) was fermented with Lactobacillus strains containing fundamental organic acids and free amino acids. The PJ fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum and L. casei (FP) was investigated for its protective effect in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mice model. The administration of FP reduced lipid peroxidation and histopathological colitis symptoms, e.g., shortening of the colon length, depletion of mucin, epithelial injury and ulceration, in colonic tissues. The FP-supplemented group showed the alleviation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Compared with the DSS control group, the supplementation of FP significantly reduced the levels of serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-17 as well as colonic tumor necrosis factor-α, IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-17. Furthermore, the DSS-induced TUNEL-positive area was significantly reduced by the FP supplementation. These results show that the supplementation of FP fermented with mixed lactic acid bacteria, L. plantarum and L. casei, elucidated the protective effect in DSS-induced colitis mice. Hence, this study suggests that FP can be utilized as a natural therapeutic agent for colitis and intestinal inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects)

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Review

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15 pages, 300 KiB

Open AccessReview

In Vitro and In Vivo Digestion of Persimmon and Derived Products: A Review

by Cristina M. González, Isabel Hernando and Gemma Moraga

Foods 2021, 10(12), 3083; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10123083 - 11 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3196

Abstract

The link between nutrition and health has focused on the strategy of diet-based programs to deal with various physiological threats, such as cardiovascular disease, oxidative stress, and diabetes. Therefore, the consumption of fruits and vegetables as a safeguard for human health is increasingly important. Among fruits, the intake of persimmon is of great interest because several studies have associated its consumption with health benefits due to its high content of bioactive compounds, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. However, during digestion, some changes take place in persimmon nutritional compounds that condition their subsequent use by the human body. In vitro studies indicate different rates of recovery and bioaccessibility depending on the bioactive compound and the matrix in which they are found. In vivo studies show that the pharmacological application of persimmon or its functional components, such as proanthocyanidins, can help to prevent hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. Thus, persimmon and persimmon derived products have the potential to be a fruit recommended for diet therapy. This review aims to compile an updated review of the benefits of persimmon and its derived products, focusing on the in vitro and in vivo digestibility of the main nutrients and bioactive compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects)

20 pages, 4188 KiB

Open AccessReview

Benefits of Polyphenols and Methylxanthines from Cocoa Beans on Dietary Metabolic Disorders

by Elodie Jean-Marie, Didier Bereau and Jean-Charles Robinson

Foods 2021, 10(9), 2049; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092049 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5843

Abstract

Theobroma cacao L. is an ancestral cultivated plant which has been consumed by various populations throughout history. Cocoa beans are the basic material occurring in the most consumed product in the world, namely chocolate. Their composition includes polyphenols, methylxanthines, lipids and other compounds that may vary qualitatively and quantitatively according to criteria such as variety or culture area. Polyphenols and methylxanthines are known as being responsible for many health benefits, particularly by preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies emphasized their positive role in dietary metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and weight gain. After a brief presentation of cocoa bean, this review provides an overview of recent research activities highlighting promising strategies which modulated and prevented gastro-intestinal metabolism dysfunctions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods with Intestinal and Metabolic Health Effects)

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