Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Thursday, 6 June 2019

Healthy Food Onion Processes Immunomodulatory Activity for the Needs of the Body

By Kyle J. Norton

The immune system formed part of the defense system is the set of cells associated with the activity that protect the body against antigens or infectious agents.

It is one of the body's defense system against diseases by keeping us healthy and preventing infections.

Immune dysfunction is a chronic condition, depending on the parts of the immune system affected.

The immune dysfunction can be classified into
* The underactive immune system is also known as the weakened immune system. People with the underactive immune system are susceptible to infection, recurrent infections.

* The overactive immune system is also known as autoimmune diseases. In this case, patients suffer diseases associated with the immune system that attacks the body tissues.

Immunomodulation is a process in which an immune response is altered to the desired level. In other words, under the immunomodulatory effect, the immune system is responding correctly to the desire of the body, regardless of types of immune dysfunction.

Some researchers suggested that by providing the necessary nutrition which has been found to play major exogenous factors in modulating different aspects of immune function. Therefore, the immune system can be optimal for the benefits of human health.

Dr. the lead scientist outlined,
* " nutrition induces a significant modulation of a marker within the reference range" or

* "nutrition induces a significant modulation of a marker from outside the reference or control range back into the range" or

*"nutrition induces a significant modulation of a marker from within the reference or control range to outside the range" or

* "nutrition prevents a significant modulation of a marker from within the reference or control range to outside the range" or
* "nutrition induces a significant modulation of a marker from a less favorable reference range into the reference range of a comparator group with a more favorable immune function".

Finally, the doctor said, "If related immune function markers show consistent changes, the interpretation will be easy and will follow the same logic as for individual markers" and "If changes in related markers are not consistent, interpretation is greatly helped by good clinical practices that include the a priori definition of the most important ‘lead markers’ (typically groups A and B)".

In other words, immune functioning can be modulated to the body needs.

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belongings to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

With an aim to find a potential compound that processes immunomodulatory effect, researchers examined the onion extract against disease associated with immune dysfunction.

In vitro, application of both onion aqueous and ethanolic extract of garlic powder significantly stimulated cell proliferation of rat spleen lymphocytes, by activating a cytokine signaling molecule in the immune system that regulates the activities of white blood cells.

These activities were totally depending on specific stimulator of cell proliferation. In this case, it was the interleukin 2 (IL2).

In subjected treated with concanavalin, both extracts also modulated the proliferation of rat thymocytes and splenocytes in response to concanavalin administration.

Interestingly, depending on the concentration, onion extracts not only had an inhibitory effect on T cell proliferation at higher concentrations but also increased T cell proliferation at lower concentrations of extracts.

In other words, onion processed immune modulatory effects depending on the body needs.

Taken altogether, onion may be considered a remedy for the promotion of immune function, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Garlic and onions: Their cancer prevention properties by Holly L. Nicastro,1 Sharon A. Ross,2 and John A. Milner. (PubMed)
(2) Monitoring immune modulation by nutrition in the general population: identifying and substantiating effects on human health by Ruud Albers, 1 Raphaëlle Bourdet-Sicard, 2 Deborah Braun, 3 Philip C. Calder, 4 Udo Herz, 5Claude Lambert, 6 Irene Lenoir-Wijnkoop, 7 Agnès Méheust, 8 Arthur Ouwehand, 9Phoukham Phothirath, 10 Tomoyuki Sako, 11 Seppo Salminen, 12 André Siemensma, 13Henk van Loveren, 14 and Ulrich Sack. (PMC)

Turmeric Protects the Cervix Against the Risk of Cervical Cancer in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens at the top of the vagina. The cervix acts a transition area for vaginal lining (squamous epithelium) to uterus type (columnar epithelium) through the transitional area (squamous columnar epithelium) to host the development of the fetus.

Cervical cancer is a medical condition caused by cells grown abnormally in the cervix uteri or cervical area due to the alternation of cells DNA.

Most cases of cervical cancer begin in the cells on the surface of the inner lining tissue in the cervix uteri or cervical area before penetrating into deeper layers to form a tumor by proliferation.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, in 2019, approximately 13,170 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed and cervical cancer will cause the death of 4,250 American women.

Today, due to the introduction of the pep test, the cervical cancer death rate has dropped significantly as cancer can be diagnosed at a very early stage. Most cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in women at the ages of 35 and 44.

The 5-year survival overall rate for all women with cervical cancer is 66%. However, the 5-year survival rate in women with invasive cervical cancer diagnosed at the early stage is 92%.

Pre-cervical cancer is the early stage of abnormal cell changes in the cervical tissue, if left untreated, the incidence can develop into true invasive cervical cancer.

Gardasil, a vaccine, has been used to prevent pre-cervical cancer from the infection of two types of HPV approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006. It is for women benefits to take this vaccine if you are sexually active with several partners.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and to treat flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

In the urgency to find a potential compound for the treatment of cervical cancer, researchers investigated the anti-cervical cancer activity of curcumin in vitro.

According to the tested assays, in human cervical cancer HeLa cells curcumin-induced cell death through the induction of DNA damage, and chromatin condensation.

More precisely, the efficacy of curcumin at 13 µM increased the protein levels associated with DNA damage and repair, leading to cancer cells apoptosis on the early onset of cervical cancer.

Additionally, in HPV infections related to HPV 16 and 18 types, that cause cervical cancer, researchers evaluated curcumin chemopreventive and anticancer effects against both HPV-related and nonrelated cervical cancers.

In benzo(a)pyrene (Bap), carcinogen-induced pathological cervical lesions of women who smoke, administration of curcumin exerted a significant effect in the inhibition of Bap induced signaling pathway and molecular markers dysregulation.

In other words, proteins associated with the early onset of cervical cancer caused by benzo(a)pyrene (Bap) were inhibited the injection of curcumin by reducing levels of oxidative stress marker.

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Curcumin causes DNA damage and affects associated protein expression in HeLa human cervical cancer cells by Shang HS1, Chang CH2, Chou YR3, Yeh MY4, Au MK5, Lu HF6, Chu YL7, Chou HM8, Chou HC8, Shih YL8, Chung JG. (PubMed)
(2) Curcumin as a multifaceted compound against human papilloma virus infection and cervical cancers: A review of chemistry, cellular, molecular, and preclinical features by Teymouri M1, Pirro M2, Johnston TP3, Sahebkar A. (PubMed)
(3) Cervical Cancer by Kyle J. Norton

Healthy Legume Navy Bean Promotes the Healthy Gut Bacterial Metabolism

By Kyle J. Norton

Gut microbiota is a community of microbes living in the gastrointestinal tract, including at least 1000 different species of known bacteria with more than 3 million genes.

Normally, the ratio of good and bad microbes in the gut are balanced. However, people who have a psychological condition such as anxiety, and depression, and are under constant stress and long-term use of antibiotics, particularly your diet may have a negative impact on the ratio.

In other words, the risk factors that alter the ratio of the microbes in the gut may lead to inflammation, oxidative stress, and blood sugar imbalances.

The impact of gut microbes can also have a strong influence on what the human host is able to extract from its diet, both nutritionally and energetically.

Epidemiological studies suggested overweight and obese people show a dysbiosis characterized by a lower diversity. In other words, imbalanced gut microbiota dysbiosis promotes diet-induced obesity and metabolic complications.

Some researchers suggested that we can optimize our health by manipulating the gut microbiota through diet by increasing the intake of prebiotic and probiotic foods.

However, the benefits may totally depend on their effect on the resident community which is different individually.

Dr. Hall A, the lead scientist in the study of microbial metabolism in the mammalian gut, wrote, "Microbial dysbiosis, however, has been implicated in a number of human disorders, including obesity and inflammation. This dichotomy highlights the need to understand the factors that determine the composition and metabolic output of our resident and transient microbes".

And, " Throughout the human lifespan, we know that diet plays a major role in shaping gut microbial communities, as well as directing the types and amounts of metabolites produced. Understanding the factors that affect microbial metabolic output within the host may help identify the roles of microbes in health, as well as new targets for treatment in disease".

On finding a natural compound for the improvement of gut microbiota, researchers examined the effects of heat-stabilized rice bran (SRB) and cooked navy bean powder (NBP) phytochemicals on colonic microbiota and intestinal health.

The experiment included a total of 29 overweight/obese volunteers with a prior history of colorectal cancer consumed a study-provided meal and snack daily including eating SRB (30 g/day) or cooked navy bean powder (35 g/day) on gut microbiota and metabolites for 28 days.

Based on the tested assays,

* SRB or NBP showed increased gut bacterial diversity and altered gut microbial composition at 28 days compared to baseline in favor of the "good" bacterias.

* Supplementation with SRB or NBP increased total dietary fiber intake similarly, compared to the decrease of rice bran intake.

* More precisely, the Firmicutes: Bacteroidetes ratio is increased and SCFA (propionate and acetate) associated with chronic inflammatory disease in the stool is decreased after 14 days but not at 28 days.

The results strongly suggested that the efficacy of cooked navy bean in the re-balanced the gut microbiomes in favor of the good bacterias may be attributed to fiber contents in the interaction with

phytochemicals in the bean.

Dr. Sheflin AM, the lead scientist said, " modulation of gut microbiota and fermentation byproducts by SRB and suggest that foods with similar ability to increase dietary fiber intake may not have equal effects on gut microbiota and microbial metabolism".

Taken altogether, the cooked-navy bean may be considered a remedy for the improvement of gut microbiota, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Dietary supplementation with rice bran or navy bean alters gut bacterial metabolism in colorectal cancer survivors by Sheflin AM1, Borresen EC2, Kirkwood JS3, Boot CM4, Whitney AK1, Lu S1, Brown RJ5, Broeckling CD3, Ryan EP2, Weir TL. (PubMed)
(2) Microbial Metabolism in the Mammalian Gut: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.
Hall A, and Versalovic J. (PubMed)

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

Whole Food Tomato Promote the Ratio of Gut Microbiota For Optimal Health

By Kyle J. Norton

Gut Microbiota is a community of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract.

Under normal conditions, gut microbiota plays a critical role in overall health, including the impacts of
* In nutrient metabolism, gut microbiota improves the absorption of the dietary nutrients of the digestive system

* In xenobiotic and drug metabolism, gut microbiota protects the body against xenobiotics and drug toxicity through facilitating the excretion.

* Maintenance of the structural integrity of the gut mucosal barrier, gut microbiota enhances the epithelial cells with a function to protect the intestine against invasive pathogens and ensure the function of intestinal in nutrients adsorption.

* In immunomodulation, gut microbiota interact with the immune system against inflammatory immune disorders and inhibits the risk of gastrointestinal diseases and non-gastrointestinal diseases caused by overexpression of bad bacteria.

However, imbalanced of the ratio of gut microbiota may have a negative on human health and diseases.

Dr. Yu-Jie Zhang wrote, "Gut bacteria are an important component of the microbiota ecosystem in the human gut, which is colonized by 1014 microbes, ten times more than the human cells. Gut bacteria play an important role in human health, such as supplying essential nutrients, synthesizing vitamin K, aiding in the digestion of cellulose, and promoting angiogenesis and enteric nerve function".

And, "However, they can also be potentially harmful due to the change of their composition when the gut ecosystem undergoes abnormal changes in the light of the use of antibiotics, illness, stress, aging, bad dietary habits, and lifestyle. Dysbiosis of the gut bacteria communities can cause many chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and autism".

Tomato is red, edible fruit, genus Solanum, belonging to family Solanaceae, native to South America. Because of its health benefits, the tomato is grown worldwide for the commercial purpose
and often in the greenhouse.

In the urgency to discover healthy foods for enhancing the ratio of dut microbiota composition researchers examined the effect of consuming tomato products and lycopene on chronic inflammatory disorders associated with intestinal bacteria in an animal model.

The study included Winnie mice as a model of spontaneous ulcerative colitis treated with or without chow enriched with 1% Bronze tomato.

At week 2, the Bronze-enriched chow treated group showed no macroscopic effect on the IBD symptoms.

However, levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines found in the treated mice were significantly reduced, observed by the levels of IL17A and IFNγ.

According to the analysis of the microbial composition, two weeks of Bronze enriched diet demonstrated a strong effect in the improvement of the gut microbiota ratio in the tested mice.

Additional differentiation of the results, researchers found that the efficacy of Bronze tomato in promotion of gut health was attributed to the phytochemical polyphenols presented in the tomato.

Taken altogether, tomato processed a high amount of lycopene may be considered a dietary supplements for the gut health, pending to large sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of polyphenols in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) The impact of tomato fruits containing multi-walled carbon nanotube residues on human intestinal epithelial cell barrier function and intestinal microbiome composition by Lahiani MH 1, Khare S, Cerniglia CE, Boy R, Ivanov IN, Khodakovskaya M. (PubMed)
(2) A Bronze-Tomato Enriched Diet Affects the Intestinal Microbiome under Homeostatic and Inflammatory Conditions.
Liso M1, De Santis S2, Scarano A3, Verna G4, Dicarlo M5, Galleggiante V6, Campiglia P7, Mastronardi M8, Lippolis A9, Vacca M10, Sobolewski A11, Serino G12, Butelli E13, De Angelis M14, Martin C15, Santino A16, Chieppa M. (PubMed)
(3) Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases by Yu-Jie Zhang,1 Sha Li,2 Ren-You Gan,3 Tong Zhou,1 Dong-Ping Xu,1 and Hua-Bin Li. (PMC)

Bromelain, Suppresses the Risk and Onset of Colitis

By Kyle J. Norton

Colitis is a medical condition characterized by the inflammation of the large intestine, including the colon, caecum, and rectum.

Depending on the types of colitis, most common prevalent factors found in patients with such as condition are.
* Familial history of inflammatory bowel disease (odds ratio (OR) 4.3)

* Breastfeeding (OR 2.1)

* Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination (OR 3.6 )

* History of eczema (OR 2.1 (1-4.5))

* Disease during pregnancy (OR 8.9 (1.5-52)), and

* Bedroom sharing (OR 7.1 (1.9-27.4))

* Crohn's disease both appendectomy and tonsillectomy have positive associations. Well-established

* Smoking status

* If you are over 50, you are at increased to develop colitis.

And * Depression and psychosocial stress, according to the basis of data from the Nurses' Health Study, increase the risk for CD, but not UC, among women. Psychological factors might have been found to induce CD developing.

Furthermore, patients with medicals condition such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and atrial fibrillation are associated with increased risk to develop ischemic colitis(IC), according to the study by Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health.

Believe it or not, regular drinking of tap water was a protective factor and ulcerative colitis appendicectomy was a protective factor.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of colitis, researchers examined the effects of bromelain on the inflammatory response that lead to the onset of colitis.

In epithelial TNFR in rats colitis induced by the intracolonic administration of 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, injection of purified fruit bromelain (PFB) significantly decreased the increased expression of TNFR1 and TNFR2.

Where TNF-α receptor (TNFR) is a proinflammatory cytokine activated by the immune response.

Furthermore, typical symptoms associated with colitis such as infiltration of inflammatory cells, cytokine profiles, epithelial cell apoptosis, and epithelial tight junction barrier dysfunction were significantly ameliorated by PFB.

According to the chemical analysis, fruit bromelain showed a superior inhibition of TNFR2 than that exhibited on TNFR1 compared to those of stem bromelain complex.

In other words, PFB expressed its anti-inflammatory activity by blocking the activation of high expression of epithelial TNFRs.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "PFB-induced TNFR inhibition ameliorated colitis symptoms. These results supply novel insights into potential IBD treatment by PFB".

In other to reveal more information of bromelain anti colitis effects, researchers evaluated the long-term dietary supplementation with pineapple (supplied as juice) in decreasing colon inflammation and neoplasia in Il10(-/-) mice with chronic colitis as compared with bromelain derived from the stem.

Colitis triggered in Il10(-/-) mice by exposure to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug piroxicam for 6 month showed a decreased histologic colon inflammation scores and lower incidence of inflammation-associated colonic neoplasia (35% versus 66%; P < 0.02), with fewer neoplastic lesions/colon (P = 0.05) after receiving treatment of fresh juice.

According to the tested assays, fresh pineapple juice demonstrated proteolytic activity in removing cell surface molecules that can affect leukocyte response.

Dr. Hale LP, the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "long-term dietary supplementation with fresh or unpasteurized frozen pineapple juice with proteolytically active bromelain enzymes is safe and decreases inflammation severity and the incidence and multiplicity of inflammation-associated colonic neoplasia in this commonly used murine model of inflammatory bowel disease".

Taken altogether, bromelain used alone or combined with conventional medicine may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of colitis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Dietary supplementation with fresh pineapple juice decreases inflammation and colonic neoplasia in IL-10-deficient mice with colitis by Hale LP1, Chichlowski M, Trinh CT, Greer PK. (PubMed)
(2) Inhibition of Epithelial TNF-α Receptors by Purified Fruit Bromelain Ameliorates Intestinal Inflammation and Barrier Dysfunction in Colitis by Zhou Z1, Wang L1, Feng P1, Yin L2, Wang C3, Zhi S3, Dong J1, Wang J1, Lin Y2, Chen D1, Xiong Y4,5, Peng J. (PubMed)
(3) Colitis - The Risk Factors by Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Bilberry, the Atheroprotective Functional Food

By Kyle J. Norton

Atherosclerosis is a condition associated with the accumulated plaque on the arterial wall. Over time the condition can cause stiffening and hardening of the arterial, leading to cardiovascular disease.

Atheroprotection is an action that reduces the plaque build up on the arterial wall. In other words, anything, including the use of substances such as herbal remedy that prevents the blockage or narrowing of the arteries is considered to precess atheroprotective effects.

Although plaque is formed by substances found in the bloodstream, most cases of atherosclerosis are also associated with the amount of cholesterol which normally returned to the liver in healthy individuals remaining in the blood due to low levels of good cholesterol (HDL) or overexpression of bad cholesterol (LDL).

In other words, an unhealthy ratio of low and high-density lipoprotein is also one of the major risk factors of atherosclerosis. the healthy ratio of blood cholesterol is any number that is less than 4 (LDL)/ 1 )HDL)

Dr. Ilaria Zanotti, the lead scientist in the investigation of atheroprotective effects of (poly) phenols wrote, "epidemiological studies have demonstrated that dietary intake of (poly)phenols from nuts, coffee, cocoa, grapes, and berries may protect against the development of atherosclerosis".

And, "... recently emerging data suggest mechanisms by which (poly)phenolic substances can modulate cellular lipid metabolism, thereby mitigating atherosclerotic plaque formation".

The results strongly suggested a healthy diet including nuts, coffee, cocoa, grapes, and berries may have a profound effect on the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Bilberry is a species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium, belonging to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern Europe.

The plant berry has been used as herbs in traditional medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea, gastritis, gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer, enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis, anemia, cystitis, kidney disease, and psoriasis, diabetes, etc.

With an aim to find a potent ingredient which processes atheroprotective effects, researchers assessed the results of the intake of bilberry foods associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases from the previous study.

2 bilberry extracts included one rich in anthocyanins extracted from untreated bilberries (BE) and a second one extracted from yeast-fermented bilberries (FBE).

On atherosclerosis induced apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (apo E(-/-)) received for 16 weeks a diet supplemented with 0.02% of either BE or FBE.

According to the measurement of atherosclerotic plaque area, administration of both supplementations bilberry extracts led to significant inhibition of plaque development, without affecting on oxidative stress parameters or lipid profiles.

The results surprisingly suggested bilberry supplement inhibited the atherosclerotic development through other mechanisms unrelated to inflammation and lipoproteins.

Compared to BE, FBE showed better protection against plaque accumulation on the arterial walls.

The finding firmly showed that the fermentation must have generated new bioactive compounds which are found in the BE extracts.

In other words, other compounds found in bilberry fermentation are more effective in attenuating the progression of the atherosclerotic lesions.

Taken altogether, bilberry, particularly bilberry fermentation processed abundantly bioactive compounds anthocyanins may be considered function remedies for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, pending to the validation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Atheroprotective effects of bilberry extracts in apo E-deficient mice by Mauray A1, Milenkovic D, Besson C, Caccia N, Morand C, Michel F, Mazur A, Scalbert A, Felgines C. (PubMed)
(2) Atheroprotective effects of (poly) phenols: A focus on cell cholesterol metabolism by Ilaria Zanotti, Margherita Dall'Asta, Pedro Mena and Laura Mele ( Research Gate)

Healthy Food Navy Bean Normalizes Postprandial Glycemic Response

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose caused by either the cells in pancreas died-off or receptor sites clogged-up by fat and cholesterol.
Hyperglycemia is a condition of abnormally high levels of glucose in the bloodstream.

Glycemic response is a change in blood glucose after consuming a carbohydrate-containing food compared to Glycemic Index (GI) that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods according to their effect on blood glucose levels.

In other words, the glycemic response is the change of blood glucose after the intake of a food or meal.

Postprandial blood glucose is the levels taken after 2 hours of a meal, generally at the approximate peak value in patients with diabetes.

According to the 2015 statistics by the American Diabetes Association, in the U.S. over 30.3 million Americans or 9.4% of the population are living with diabetes. Sadly, out of 30.3 million adults with diabetes, 23.1 million were diagnosed, and 7.2 million were undiagnosed.

Believe it or not, in 2015, 84.1 million Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes.

Most people who are not prediabetes or diabetes have normal blood glucose and insulin levels that rise within the range after eating, then return to the fasting levels over a short period of time.

According to the epidemiological studies, by controlling the glycaemic response with the healthy range, the glycaemic response can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Some researchers suggested including additional fibers into a meal or food can reduce the levels of glucose shortly after intake.

By managing postprandial blood glucose effectively, diabetics can decrease the risk of microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, popular in both dry and green forms, is very popular in Britain and the US, native to Peru. It is now grown and consumed across the world, due to their numerous health benefits.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the improvement of postprandial glycaemic response, researchers examined the effect of dietary intake of pulses, including navy bean.

The study included healthy young men received commercially prepared pulse powders and BG response was recorded before and after a subsequent meal.

More precisely, participants were randomly divided into a whole, puréed and powdered pulses (navy beans in Expt 1; lentils in Expt 2; chickpeas in Expt 3) and whole-wheat flour as the control.

After a fixed-energy pizza meal (50·2 kJ/kg body weight) was provided at 120 min, the BG concentration was measured before (0-120 min) and after (140-200 min) the pizza meal, researchers found that

* Compared with the whole-wheat flour control, navy bean treatments lowered peak BG concentrations but not the mean BG concentration over 120 min.

* Compared to nay bean, all lentil and chickpea lower the mean BG concentration over 120 min after treatments

* Moreover, processing pulses to powdered form does not eliminate the benefits of whole pulses on BG response.

Based on the finding, researchers said, "the use of pulse powders as value-added food ingredients to moderate postprandial glycaemic response".

Taken altogether, Navy bean used alone or combined with conventional medicine may be considered a remedy for the improvement of postprandial glycaemic response, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) The acute effect of commercially available pulse powders on postprandial glycaemic response in healthy young men by Anderson GH1, Liu Y1, Smith CE1, Liu TT1, Nunez MF1, Mollard RC1, Luhovyy BL. (PubMed)
(2) First and second meal effects of pulses on blood glucose, appetite, and food intake at a later meal by Mollard RC1, Wong CL, Luhovyy BL, Anderson GH. (PubMed)