scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question

Showing papers in "Journal of Medicinal Food in 1998"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Understanding the dietary influences of cruciferous phytochemicals on estrogen status provides a basis for nutritional approaches to estrogen-related concerns that accompany aging in women and men.
Abstract: Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, have been cultivated since antiquity as medicinal plants. Once ingested, the Cruciferae release unique phytochemical constituents able to modify the activity of cellular enzymes effecting carcinogen clearance and estrogen metabolism. The most active of these phytochemicals with regard to estrogen is the dietary indole, diindolylmethane. Understanding the dietary influences of cruciferous phytochemicals on estrogen status provides a basis for nutritional approaches to estrogen-related concerns that accompany aging in women and men.

97 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The growing clinical interest in and use of soybean-based food products or extracts to increase dietary phytoestrogen intake makes the precise composition of the key biologically active ingredients of soybeans, notably genistin and daidzin, of substantial medical interest.
Abstract: The growing clinical interest in and use of soybean-based food products or extracts to increase dietary phytoestrogen intake makes the precise composition of the key biologically active ingredients of soybeans, notably genistin and daidzin, of substantial medical interest. Conventional soybeans are increasingly being replaced by genetically modified varieties. We analyzed the phytoestrogen concentrations in two varieties of genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant soybeans and their isogenic conventional counterparts grown under similar conditions. An overall reduction in phytoestrogen levels of 12-14% was observed in the genetically altered soybean strains, mostly attributable to reductions in the concentrations of genistin and, to a lesser extent, in daidzin. Significant sample-to-sample variability in these two phytoestrogens, but not in glycitin, was evident in the genetically altered soybeans. Given the high biological potency of isoflavones and their metabolic conversion products, these data suggest...

73 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The scientific and clinical data that support the use of garlic as a medicinal food are examined and it is shown that regular consumption of these foods imparted evolutionary advantages.
Abstract: Garlic (Allium sativutn) is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed herbs in the world. Garlic is also among the most medicinally active substances consumed by people the world over, with do...

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The same mechanisms that allow plants to extract heavy metals such as lead and uranium can also be applied to the phytoextraction of desirable, beneficial micronutrients, such as selenium, under controlled growing conditions.
Abstract: It is widely recognized that plants contain nutrients and chemicals that are beneficial beyond general nutrient needs. In fact, research has shown that of the more than 4,000 chemical compounds found in plants, some help prevent the development of disease by interfering with the destructive oxidation of cellular components, and others prevent the development of certain cancers. Moreover, plants can also provide for enhanced mineral nutrition. The same mechanisms that allow plants to extract heavy metals such as lead and uranium can also be applied to the phytoextraction of desirable, beneficial micronutrients, such as selenium, under controlled growing conditions. This process provides for hyperenrichment of the desired micronutrient. Plants containing targeted micronutrients can provide the minimum daily adult requirements in a single tablet or capsule. We describe in this report selected cultivars of Brassica juncea, or Indian mustard, a member of the Brassicaceae (formerly the Cruciferae) containing 2,...

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Because the natural seenium content of infant formulas is generally low, selenium fortification is necessary to improve the selenum status of formula-fed infants.
Abstract: Because the natural selenium content of infant formulas is generally low, selenium fortification is necessary to improve the selenium status of formula-fed infants. The question as to the form of selenium to be used for this purpose is an important one. Ideally, selenium should be supplemented in the same form in which it occurs normally in human milk. Sodium selenate or sodium selenite, which are used currently, do not occur normally in foods. Virtually all the selenium present in human milk is organic and significantly in the form of selenomethionine. Selenomethionine could be added to infant formulas in the form of selenium yeast or selenium yeast hydrolyzates.

32 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The role of oxidants in the promotion of cardiovascular disease and the means by which antioxidants may prevent the disease are outlined.
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Cholesterollowering drugs and dietary and behavioral modifications have been the traditional choice of treatment for the disease. Recently, there has been an increased advocacy for the use of antioxidants to retard the progression of the disease. In this review, the role of oxidants in the promotion of cardiovascular disease and the means by which antioxidants may prevent the disease are outlined. Specifically, multiple pathways by which antioxidants may retard the progression of cardiovascular disease are described.

24 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Medicinal food has a long history of use in China and is based on the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine such as Yin and Yang, Qi, Qi (vital energy), and blood.
Abstract: Medicinal food has a long history of use in China and is based on the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine such as Yin and Yang, Qi (vital energy), and blood (related to all internal organs), the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), the taste (sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty) of medicine and food, the property (cool, cold, plain, warm and hot) of medicine and food, and Gui Jin (channel tropism). Medicinal food uses traditional Chinese medicine (herbs and animals) and common foods as raw materials and cooked together using traditional ways; it has the usual characteristics of food, i.e., color, flavor, taste, and appearance. Medicinal food is applied alone or with medicine to prevent and treat disease, improve health and fitness, and/or prolong the aging process. Medicinal food is divided into several categories based on its health functions and the intended purpose of use. The category of medicinal food that is used for preventing and treating diseases is further divided in...

12 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Both auraptene, which occurs widely in citrus fruits, and l'-acetoxychavicol acetate, a major constituent of great galangal, are promising new chemopreventers because of their conspicuous anticarcinogenesis activities in mouse skin, rat tongue, and rat colon.
Abstract: Chemoprevention is currently regarded as one of the most promising avenues for cancer control. The inhibition of the tumor promotion stage in multistage carcinogenesis as a means of chemoprevention. The anti-tumor-promoting activity of numerous methanol extracts from edible Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian plants as well as marine algae was screened with the use of an in vitro assay, the tumor-promoter-induced Epstein-Barr virus activation test in Raji cells. More than 20 active constituents have so far been isolated and identified. Of these compounds, both auraptene, which occurs widely in citrus fruits, and l'-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), a major constituent of great galangal (a condiment in southeast Asia), are promising new chemopreventers because of their conspicuous anticarcinogenesis activities in mouse skin, rat tongue, and rat colon. The action mechanisms by which they inhibit carcinogenesis are suggested to be suppression of the generation of Superoxide anions through leukocyte inactivation in t...

10 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The profusion of reports suggesting that legumes—one of the lowest-glycemic-index staple foods—are cancer preventive is consistent with the thesis that a low-gly glucose-index diet is protective in this regard; the apparent protection associated with high intakes of fruit and of fiber-rich foods may be partially traceable to reduced glycemia.
Abstract: A high-glycemic-index diet increases hepatocyte exposure to insulin, and thus should up-regulate IGF-I activity—both by stimulating IGF-I synthesis and by suppressing hepatic production of IGFBP-1. The resulting increase in IGF-I activity might be expected to have a significant cancer promotional impact in light of IGF-I's role as a progressional growth factor and anti-apoptotic agent in a great many normal and neoplastic tissues. Although direct epidemiological data linking the glycemic index of habitual diets to cancer risk are currently scarce, the profusion of reports suggesting that legumes—one of the lowest-glycemic-index staple foods—are cancer preventive is consistent with the thesis that a low-glycemic-index diet is protective in this regard; the apparent protection associated with high intakes of fruit and of fiber-rich foods may also be partially traceable to reduced glycemia. Slowly digested starch may be stored preferentially in the liver, accounting for its favorable impact on satiety and gl...

10 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review summarizes the "state of the art" methods currently being used in the research and development of plant-derived material of biomedical importance.
Abstract: Advances in molecular biology now permit the use of plants as vectors for molecularly defined products of human and animal origin. In this review, we summarize the "state of the art" methods currently being used in the research and development of plant-derived material of biomedical importance.

8 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and lipid-protein complexes are atherogenic, and autoantibodies to such complexes are Atherogenic.
Abstract: Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Oxidized lipid-protein complexes are atherogenic, and autoantibodies to such com...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a new method of solubilization of β-carotene in aqueous solution using lyso phosphatidylcholine (LPH) was proposed.
Abstract: Anticancer and antiatherogenic properties of carotenoids have been attributed to their antioxidant effects. However, the antioxidant effect of β-carotene is a controversial topic. There is a great deal of discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro actions. One of the major problems of in vitro studies using β-carotene is its insolubility in aqueous solutions; this necessitates the use of organic solvents, which drastically limits the use of the solutions in cell culture studies. This paper reports a new method of solubilization of β-carotene in aqueous solution using lyso phosphatidylcholine which permits the preparation of high concentrations of β-carotene. The β-carotene aqueous solution is clear, remains stable for several days, and can be used for cell culture studies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin, with oral limonene was combined in a pilot study of combined prenylation inhibitor therapy for human cancer and Objective clinical responses were observed.
Abstract: Limonene is a naturally occurring cyclic monoterpene that is found in a wide variety of edible plants. Prior observations have shown limonene to possess chemopreventive and anticancer properties th...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A drink mix fortified with egg powder derived from specially vaccinated hens ("immune egg") was studied for its ability to modulate symptoms in 13 patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriatic arthritis.
Abstract: Arthritic conditions afflict millions of people worldwide, negatively affecting their physical and mental health and the quality of their lives. Conventional therapeutic modalities frequently provide relief to patients, but it is increasingly evident that other regimens, including nutritional ones, may be beneficial. A drink mix fortified with egg powder derived from specially vaccinated hens ("immune egg") was studied for its ability to modulate symptoms in 13 patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriatic arthritis. For the subjects as a whole, statistically significant improvement (P <.05) of physician mean global assessment scores was observed at 30 and 60 days after initiation of the study. Compared with baseline values, patients with osteoarthritis exhibited statistically significant improvement (P <.05) in their scores 30 and 60 days after start of the program. Improvement was still present even after osteoarthritis patients had stopped taking the product for 30 days. During the 9...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: With the exception of epidermal cells and stomata, similar features were observed in the petiole, although vessel elements formed a greater proportion of the tissue and extremely rare starch grains were also observed.
Abstract: Unlike many other commercially important herbs that have had their microscopic features described in monographs or textbooks, illustrated descriptions for Ginkgo biloba L. leaves are not readily available. This paper presents an illustrated review of the most characteristic microscopical features of the leaves. The dried, powdered petiole and lamina of ginkgo leaves harvested at three different points in the annual growth cycle of the plant (spring, late summer, and fall) were examined using light microscopy at 100× to 1,000× magnification and photographed. The main characteristic features of the lamina were found to be wavy walled epidermal cells, anisocytic stornata, calcium oxalate cluster crystals, a marked cuticle, lignified vessel elements, and, rarely, uniseriate elongated trichomes. With the exception of epidermal cells and stomata, similar features were observed in the petiole, although vessel elements formed a greater proportion of the tissue and extremely rare starch grains were also observed. ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) transcription factor was found to suppress macrophage cytokine production via PPARγ.
Abstract: There is evidence that monocytes/macrophages, especially when activated, express the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) transcription factor and that activation of PPARγ with appropriate ligands downregulates induced macrophage production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Another report indicates that dietary conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have a thiazolidinedione-like antidiabetic effect in Zucker fatty rats, associated with activation of PPARγ in adipocytes. This raises the prospect that CLA might exert antiinflammatory effects by suppressing macrophage cytokine production via PPARγ. Omega-3-rich fish oils likewise can downregulate production of IL-1 and TNF by macrophages, possibly because they inhibit autocrine positive feedback by thromboxane A2. Therefore, supplemental CLA (fish oil) may be protective with respect to pathologies in which IL-1 and TNF play key etiological roles. Such pathologies may include atherogenesis and Alzheimer's disease. Antiatherogeni...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The nature of dietary carbohydrate plays an important role in the pathogenesis of copper deficiency and fructose feeding, but not starch feeding, induces severe pathologies and premature mortality in copper deficiency patients.
Abstract: The nature of dietary carbohydrate plays an important role in the pathogenesis of copper deficiency. Fructose feeding, but not starch feeding, induces severe pathologies and premature mortality in ...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of total and free amino acids in commercial organic garbanzo bean miso shows that about 60% of the total protein is fermented intofree amino acids, and Glutamine, arginine, threonine, and asparagine were found to be most abundant.
Abstract: Selection of vegetable, salad, and fruit plant crops for the free amino acids is now a potential direction for agriculture. It is both general and specific, with a broad horizon that focuses on improving our nutrition and, as a result, our health. We present analyses for the free amino acids in the juices of the pods of a dozen bush beans, six varieties of cucumbers, the petals of two sunflowers, the leaves of three radicchios, shingiku and fenugreek, two chicories, an endive, licorice root, and garbanzo bean miso. Analysis of total and free amino acids in commercial organic garbanzo bean miso shows that about 60% of the total protein is fermented into free amino acids. Analyses of free amino acids in the fresh juices of a dozen onions are also presented. Glutamine, arginine, threonine, and asparagine were found to be most abundant. The innermost bulb leaves are 9 times higher in arginine than the outermost. A green and a white broccoli were analyzed an inch at a time for free amino acids. The stems and t...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The claim that liquid nutrients are better absorbed from a liquid than when ingested in tablets or pills is not supported by any studies as mentioned in this paper, but is this really true? This article provides answers to this and other frequently asked questions about these products.
Abstract: Liquid multivitamin-mineral preparations are gaining popularity among those who believe that liquid (or colloidal) nutrients are better absorbed from a liquid than when ingested in tablets or pills Critics have argued that this claim is not supported by any studies—but is this really true? This article provides answers to this and other frequently asked questions about these products