Selected Functional Foods for Potential in Disease Treatment and Their Regulatory Issues

Figures & data

Table 1 Some examples of functional foods and their bioactive molecules for cardiovascular protection

Sr. #	Plants	Bioactive molecules	Potential roles
1	Garlic	Sulfur containing compounds	• Antioxidants
			• Lowers LDL oxidation
			• Reduce platelet aggregation
2	Green tea	Catechin	• Weight reduction
			• Lowers LDL oxidation
3	Black cumin	Fatty acid profile	• Reduce the cholesterol
		Thymoquinone	• Prevents LDL oxidation
4	Flax	Omega-3 fatty acids	• Reduce the LDL cholesterol
			• Cure endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation malfunctioning
5	Soybean	Isoflavanoids	• Reduce the cholesterol
		Omega-3 fatty acids	• Prevents LDL oxidation
6	Grape extracts	Polyphenols	• Lower thrombosis
			• LDL modification
7	Guava leaves	Fibers	• Reduced cholesterol
8	Whole grains	Dietary fiber	• Cholesterol absorption and adsorption
9	Germ oil	Polyunsaturated fatty acids	• Reduce LDL cholesterol
			• Improves HDL cholesterol
Source: Butt et al.[29]

Table 2 Some examples of functional foods and their bioactive molecules for the management of diabetes mellitus

Sr. #	Potential mechanism
1	Weight management and obesity	Oat, garlic, onion, green and black tea, psyllium husk, guar gum, wheat bran, fenugreek, etc.
2	Insulinotropic	Black cumin
3	Insulin like activity	Black cumin, fenugreek, sweet potato
4	Antioxidant activities (diabetes complications)	Fenugreek, Bauhinia forficate, Cissus sicyoides
5	Enzymes modulation	α-Lipoic acid, tocopherols, and selenium containing plants and their extracts, fenugreek
Source: Butt et al.[29]

Table 3 Ten examples of functional foods and their anticancer perspectives

Sr. #	Plants	Bioactive molecules	Cancer type	Potential roles
1	Green tea	• Epigallocatechin-3-gallate	Colon cancer	• Induces apoptosis
		• Epicatechin	Skin cancer	• Promotes cell growth arrest by altering the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins
		• Epicatechin-3-gallate	Lung cancer	• Activating killer caspases
		• Epigallocatechin	Prostate cancer	• Suppressing nuclear factor kappa-B activation
			Breast cancer	• Regulates and promotes IL-23 dependent DNA
				• Modulate signal transduction pathways
2	Turmeric	Curcumin	Colorectal cancer	• Inhibits transcription via AP-1
				• Suppresses cell proliferation
				• Inhibits metastasis
				• Apoptosis
				• G(1)/S arrest of the cell-cycle
				• Boosting antioxidant defenses
3	Grapes/Berries	Resveratrol/ Piceatannol	Skin cancer	• Inhibit DNA strand breakage
			Lung cancer	• Inhibitors of topoisomerase I
			Colorectal cancer	• Antimetastatic effects
			Breast cancer	• Cell cycle arrest
				• Down-regulation of PI3Kinase to induce apoptosis
4	Tomatoes	Lycopene	Prostate cancer	• Reduced oxidative stress through modulation of antioxidant defense system
			Skin cancer	• Increased nuclear NF-E2-related factor-2
			Colon cancer	• Inhibit DNA damage
				• Down regulation of cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL expression
5	Pomegranate	Polyphenols	Breast cancer	• Arrest cell cycle in G0/G1 and G(2)/M phase
		Ellagic acid	Colon cancer	• Apoptosis
		Ellagitannins	Lung cancer	• Antiproliferative
			Skin cancer	• Antiaromatase activity
				• Inhibited NF-kappaB and cell viability
				• Modulating Bax:Bcl-2 proteins
6	Soybean	Soy isoflavones, genistein, daidzein, glyceollins	Breast cancer	• Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathway
			Gastric cancer	• Decreased risk for gastric and lung cancer
			Ovarian cancer	• Arrest cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase
			Lung cancer	• Induction of apoptosis and repair of DNA damage
				• Induces expression of p21, p53, and caspase-3 proteins
				• Inhibition of VEGF expression
7	Fish oil	Omega-3 tatty acids	Colon cancer	• Caspase 8 activation
			Breast cancer	• Induction of apoptosis
				• Reduced risk for breast cancer
				• Enhanced lipid peroxidation
				• Modulation of mitochondrial calcium homeostasis
				• Enhanced production of reactive oxygen species
				• Activation of p53
8	Flax seed	Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans	Prostate cancer	• Decreased mRNA expressions of Bcl2, cyclin D1, pS2, ERalpha
			Breast cancer	• Apoptosis
				• Decreased VEGF secretion
				• Enhancement in antioxidant defense enzymes activities
				• Reduced tumor growth and metastasis
9	Garlic	Alicin, DAS, DADS, Ajoene, etc.	• Gastrointestinal tract cancer	• Increase the level of many detoxification enzymes
			• Prostate cancer	• ROS generation and regulating Bax/Bak proteins
			• Mammary carcinoma	• Apoptosis in prostate cancer
			• Hepatocellular carcinoma	• Regulation of p21/ras protein expression
			• Lung cancer	• Antiproliferative inhibited progression at G2/M
			• Skin and esophagus cancer	• Caspases activities
				• Inhibition of gene expression
10	Ginger	Gingerols, Shoagols, Zerumbone	Colorectal cancer	• Reduces oxidative stress
			Breast cancer	• Inhibits proliferation
			Lung cancer	• Induces mitochondria-regulated apoptosis
(Source: Gullet et al.[100])

Table 4 Some promising genera and strains of probiotics

Sr. #	Plants	Bioactive molecules	Potential roles
1	Bifidobacterium	B. bifidum	• Protects the intestinal mucosa
		B. breve	• Helps with the immune response
		B. infantis 35624	• Prevents E. coli and salmonella infections
			• Anti-inflammatory properties
			• Stimulates the immune system
			• Helps digestion
			• Can be used to make yogurt and is one of the most dominant species of beneficial bacteria in the human intestinal system
2	Lactobacillus	L. acidophilus	• Protects the intestinal mucosa
		L. bulgarius	• Prevents inflammatory bowel disease
		L. casei	• Prevents E. coli and salmonella infections
		L. crispatus	• Lactose intolerance
		L. rhamnosus strain	• Helps the body manufacture antioxidants
		L. amylovorus	• Crohn's disease
		L. delbrueckii	• Supports the immune system
		L. gallinarum	• Helps encourage the growth of other good bacteria in the digestive system, e.g., L. rhamnosus helps stabilize beneficial bacteria in the intestinal system
		L. johnsonii
		L. plantarum
		L. salivarius
		L. sporogenes
3	Lactococcus	L. lactis	• Helps prevent diarrhea
4	Saccharomyces	S. cerevisiae	• Prevents diarrhea
		S. boulardii
5	Streptococcus	S. thermophilus	• Prevents infection
			• Makes milk products more digestible for the lactose intolerant
Source: Saulnier et al.[110] and Gibson.[111]

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