scholarly journals Health, Wellness, and Safety Aspects of the Consumption of Kombucha

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindani I. Watawana ◽  
Nilakshi Jayawardena ◽  
Chaminie B. Gunawardhana ◽  
Viduranga Y. Waisundara

Functional foods have been identified as whole foods and fortified, enriched, or enhanced products which have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis, at effective levels. As consumer awareness on functional food escalates, the interest towards conducting scientific studies in this field has also proportionately increased. Many of the traditional food products are known to possess bioactive components, thus qualifying as functional food. Kombucha tea is produced by fermenting sugared black tea with a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria. Kombucha tea has gained immense popularity in recent times due to many associated health benefits. The therapeutic effects of this beverage are thought to be derived from the chemical composition of this beverage, mainly the polyphenols and secondary metabolites which are produced during fermentation. However, the safety aspects of the beverage also need to be taken into account when qualifying the beverage as a functional food. Nevertheless, Kombucha tea could be easily recognized as a beverage which is able to replace the consumption of carbonated beverages due to its possession of health benefits and therapeutic properties.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Run-Hui Ma ◽  
Zhi-Jing Ni ◽  
Yun-Yang Zhu ◽  
Kiran Thakur ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
...  

The bioactive compounds and bioactivities of ginger, and their detailed mechanisms including some therapeutic effects of ginger and its constituents for effective antioxidant properties were comprehensive reviewed.


Author(s):  
Siraj Salman Mohammad ◽  
Renata Oliveira Santos ◽  
Maria Ivone Barbosa ◽  
José Lucena Barbosa Junior

: Anthocyanins are widely spread in different kinds of food, especially fruits and floral tissues, there is an extensive range of anthocyanin compounds reach more than 600 exist in nature. Anthocyanins can be used as antioxidants and raw material for several applications in food and pharmaceutical industry. Consequently, a plenty of studies about anthocyanins sources and extraction methods were reported. Furthermore, many studies about their stability, bioactive and therapeutic properties have been done. According to the body of work, we firstly worked to shed light on anthocyanin properties including chemical, antioxidant and extraction properties. Secondly, we reported the applications and health benefits of anthocyanin including the applications in food processes and anthocyanin characteristics as therapeutic and prophylactic compounds. We reviewed anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-fatness, oxidative Stress and lipid decreasing and vasoprotective effects of anthocyanins. In conclusion, because the importance of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds the research is still continuing to find new anthocyanins from natural sources and invest them as raw materials in the pharmaceutical and nutrition applications.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Gabriella Racchetti ◽  
Jacopo Meldolesi

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the cells distributed in the stromas of the body, are known for various properties including replication, the potential of various differentiations, the immune-related processes including inflammation. About two decades ago, these cells were shown to play relevant roles in the therapy of numerous diseases, dependent on their immune regulation and their release of cytokines and growth factors, with ensuing activation of favorable enzymes and processes. Such discovery induced great increase of their investigation. Soon thereafter, however, it became clear that therapeutic actions of MSCs are risky, accompanied by serious drawbacks and defects. MSC therapy has been therefore reduced to a few diseases, replaced for the others by their extracellular vesicles, the MSC-EVs. The latter vesicles recapitulate most therapeutic actions of MSCs, with equal or even better efficacies and without the serious drawbacks of the parent cells. In addition, MSC-EVs are characterized by many advantages, among which are their heterogeneities dependent on the stromas of origin, the alleviation of cell aging, the regulation of immune responses and inflammation. Here we illustrate the MSC-EV therapeutic effects, largely mediated by specific miRNAs, covering various diseases and pathological processes occurring in the bones, heart and vessels, kidney, and brain. MSC-EVs operate also on the development of cancers and on COVID-19, where they alleviate the organ lesions induced by the virus. Therapy by MSC-EVs can be improved by combination of their innate potential to engineering processes inducing precise targeting and transfer of drugs. The unique properties of MSC-EVs explain their intense studies, carried out with extraordinary success. Although not yet developed to clinical practice, the perspectives for proximal future are encouraging.


2017 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara R. Cardoso ◽  
Graziela B. Silva Duarte ◽  
Bruna Z. Reis ◽  
Silvia M.F. Cozzolino

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahanas E ◽  
Seeja T Panjikkaran ◽  
Sharon C L ◽  
Remya P R

Cocoa is regarded as a super food due to its high nutrient content and proven health benefits. Cocoa beans are rich in carbohydrate (31%), protein (11%), fat (54%), fibre (16%) and minerals. Cocoa is a good source of bioactive compounds too. The major bioactive components are polyphenols constituted of flavanoids and non flavanoids. The bioactive components with rich antioxidants and anti-inflammatory activities contribute to various health benefits. The flavonoid rich chocolates improve peripheral vascular function. The consumption of cocoa or chocolate are beneficial in inhibiting the complex molecular process leading to cancer. Flavanoids in cocoa increases insulin sensitivity by improving endothelial function and reducing oxidative stress. The cocoa flavonoids also penetrate and accumulate in the brain regions involved in learning and memory. The knowledge on bioactive compounds in cocoa and cocoa products suggests that they could be consumed as a part of wholesome, health promoting nutritional food.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svitlana Rymar ◽  
Polina Pikus ◽  
Ianina Pokholenko ◽  
Polina Buchek ◽  
Nadiya Shuvalova ◽  
...  

Mesenchymal stem cells are the most promising regenerative medicine tool for the treatment of various diseases, including liver disease, although the exact mechanism of their therapeutic action remains unclear. It was found that MSCs are captured by the lungs after systemic transplantation, quickly disappear, and are not detected at the site of injury, but at the same time exhibit an obvious therapeutic effect. Comparison of the MSC efficiency depending on the route of their administration may shed light on the mechanisms involved in the implementation of MSC therapeutic potential. In this work, we compared the therapeutic effects of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) administered systemically and intraperitoneally in the form of MSCs encapsulated in alginate capsules in a CCl4-induced model of liver cirrhosis in rats. Our study showed that both treatments resulted in liver recovery. MSC transplantation by two different routes led to a decrease in collagen deposition, the disappearance of the fibrous area by the 13th week, and normalization of the morphometric parameters of liver parenchyma cells. The expression of some genes (EGF, alpha SMA, GFAP) which is activated in liver injury, decreased to the level observed in negative control animals. However, a detailed study of liver recovery in dynamics showed that encapsulated MSCs led to faster normalization in several parameters of the liver tissue. Our results showed that human umbilical cord MSCs effectively exhibit their therapeutic properties when using both methods of transplantation, however, intraperitoneal administration of encapsulated MSCs accelerated the process of liver regeneration.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Zanchini ◽  
Simone Blanc ◽  
Liam Pippinato ◽  
Giuseppe Di Vita ◽  
Filippo Brun

PurposeAs is well known, there are several aspects that characterise honey consumption and the reasons for purchasing it. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the drivers that move consumers towards the use of honey for its health benefits and therapeutic properties. The aim of this study is to define which drivers move the consumption of honey for its health benefits.Design/methodology/approachThe study, conducted on 640 Italian honey consumers, applied inferential tests (Chi-square) and an econometric model (logit regression), and showed that about 66% of the respondents stated that they consume honey for its health properties.FindingsThe main drivers of honey consumption are both among the intrinsic (Colour) and extrinsic (Origin and Organic certification) attributes of the product. What also emerges is that the propensity to consume honey for health purposes is influenced by the consumer characteristics and habits, such as Age cohort, Gender, BMI and Large retail buyer. Moreover, we observed that consumption is influenced by BMI but not by lifestyle characteristics such as sport and diet.Originality/valueThis study could be a support tool for policymakers who are interested in promoting good nutrition and improving public health, since there is great interest in the functional properties of foods and the need to enhance the value of products, while at the same time ensuring consumer protection.


2015 ◽  
pp. 133-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Peso-Echarri ◽  
Carlos Alberto González-Bermúdez ◽  
Gaspar Ros-Berruezo ◽  
Carmen Martínez-Graciá ◽  
Carmen Frontela-Saseta

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaudia Siwowska ◽  
Patrycja Guzik ◽  
Katharina A. Domnanich ◽  
Josep M. Monné Rodríguez ◽  
Peter Bernhardt ◽  
...  

Targeted radionuclide therapy with 177Lu- and 90Y-labeled radioconjugates is a clinically-established treatment modality for metastasized cancer. 47Sc is a therapeutic radionuclide that decays with a half-life of 3.35 days and emits medium-energy β−-particles. In this study, 47Sc was investigated, in combination with a DOTA-folate conjugate, and compared to the therapeutic properties of 177Lu-folate and 90Y-folate, respectively. In vitro, 47Sc-folate demonstrated effective reduction of folate receptor-positive ovarian tumor cell viability similar to 177Lu-folate, but 90Y-folate was more potent at equal activities due to the higher energy of emitted β−-particles. Comparable tumor growth inhibition was observed in mice that obtained the same estimated absorbed tumor dose (~21 Gy) when treated with 47Sc-folate (12.5 MBq), 177Lu-folate (10 MBq), and 90Y-folate (5 MBq), respectively. The treatment resulted in increased median survival of 39, 43, and 41 days, respectively, as compared to 26 days in untreated controls. There were no statistically significant differences among the therapeutic effects observed in treated groups. Histological assessment revealed no severe side effects two weeks after application of the radiofolates, even at double the activity used for therapy. Based on the decay properties and our results, 47Sc is likely to be comparable to 177Lu when employed for targeted radionuclide therapy. It may, therefore, have potential for clinical translation and be of particular interest in tandem with 44Sc or 43Sc as a diagnostic match, enabling the realization of radiotheragnostics in future.


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