Positive outcomes of bioactive ingredients in functional food in treating chronic diseases

Researchers from Wuhan Sports University in China listed the potential health benefits of certain bioactive compounds in functional food. The study was published in Food Science and Human Wellness.

• Functional foods are either natural or processed foods infused with bioactive compounds.
• Bioactive compounds are ingredients which not only has nutritional value but also play a role in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
• The compounds have pleiotropic effects, which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, glycemic-regulating, cytoprotective, and neuroprotective properties.
• Autophagy is a cellular process which clears eukaryotic cells of aberrant components. This is crucial for maintaining a healthy body.
• For the review, the authors summarized the regulatory function of autophagy for the following bioactive compounds: resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, and trehalose.

The results showed that bioactive compounds in foods have promising beneficial properties that can aid in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. These compounds can be used for the development of functional foods with the modulation of autophagy.

Read the complete study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Xie J, Liang J, Chen N. AUTOPHAGY-ASSOCIATED SIGNAL PATHWAYS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS FOR CHRONIC DISEASES. Food Science and Human Wellness. 2019;8(1):25–33. DOI: 10.1016/j.fshw.2019.03.002