Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of a bioactive food blend

Do Bioactive Food Compound with Avena sativa L., Linum usitatissimum L. and Glycine max L. Supplementation with Moringa oleifera Lam. Have a Role against Nutritional Disorders? An Overview of the In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

Functional clinical nutrition is an integrative science; it uses dietary strategies, functional foods and medicinal plants, as well as combinations thereof. Both functional foods and medicinal plants, whether associated or not, form nutraceuticals, which can bring benefits to health, in addition to being included in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Some functional food effects from Avena sativa L. (oats), Linum usitatissimum L. (brown flaxseed), Glycine max L. (soya) and Moringa oleifera have been proposed for nutritional disorders through in vitro and in vivo tests. A formulation called a bioactive food compound (BFC) showed efficiency in the association of oats, flaxseed and soy for dyslipidemia and obesity. In this review, we discuss the effects of BFC in other nutritional disorders, as well as the beneficial effects of M. oleifera in obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, metabolic syndrome, intestinal inflammatory diseases/colorectal carcinogenesis and malnutrition. In addition, we hypothesized that a BFC enriched with M. oleifera could present a synergistic effect and play a potential benefit in nutritional disorders. The traditional consumption of M. oleifera preparations can allow associations with other formulations, such as BFC. These nutraceutical formulations can be easily accepted and can be used in sweet preparations (fruit and/or vegetable juices, fruit and/or vegetable vitamins, porridges, yogurt, cream, mousses or fruit salads, cakes and cookies) or savory (vegetable purees, soups, broths and various sauces), cooked or not. These formulations can be low-cost and easy-to-use. The association of bioactive food substances in dietary formulations can facilitate adherence to consumption and, thus, contribute to the planning of future nutritional interventions for the prevention and adjuvant treatment of the clinical conditions presented in this study. This can be extended to the general population. However, an investigation through clinical studies is needed to prove applicability in humans.

The Complex Puzzle of Interactions Among Functional Food, Gut Microbiota, and Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer exerts a strong influence on the epidemiological panorama worldwide, and it is directly correlated to etiologic factors that are substantiated by genetic and environmental elements. This complex mixture of factors also has a relationship involving the structural dependence and composition of the gut microbiome, leading to a dysbacteriosis process that may evolve to serious modifications in the intestinal lining, eventually causing the development of a neoplasm. The gastrointestinal tract presents defense strategies and immunological properties that interfere in intestinal permeability, inhibiting the bacterial translocation, thus maintaining the integrity of intestinal homeostasis. The modulation of the intestinal microbiome and the extinction of risk factors associated with intestinal balance losses, especially of environmental factors, make cell and defense alterations impossible. This modulation may be conducted by means of functional foods in the diet, especially soluble fibers, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and prebiotics that signal immunomodulatory effects in the intestinal microbiota, with preventive and therapeutic action for colorectal cancer. In summary, this review focuses on the importance of dietary modulation of the intestinal microbiota as an instrument for dysbacteriosis and, consequently, for the prevention of colorectal cancer, suggesting anticarcinogenic, and antiangiogenic properties. Among the intestinal modulating agents considered here are functional foods, especially flaxseed, oat and soy, composing a Bioactive Food Compound.

Effectiveness of a bioactive food compound in anthropometric measures of individuals with HIV/AIDS: A nonrandomized trial

Background

Highly Active Antiretroviral therapy (HAART) promotes anthropometric changes in lipid metabolism and glucose in patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Functional foods play an important role on metabolism. Bioactive Food Compound (BFC) has shown effective results in changes arising from decompensated lipid metabolism due to the effects of HAART on HIV patients. From this perspective, the objective of this study is to evaluate anthropometric indicators and the body composition of patients undergoing HAART before and after consumption of BFC.

Methods

This is a prospective intervention with 180 individuals with HIV undergoing HAART. They formed two groups and were monitored for 3 months: the first group consisted of individuals who consumed BFC (n = 121) at the recommended daily intake of 40 g. The second group consisted of individuals who did not consume BFC (n = 59). We determined body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), conicity index (CI) and antiretroviral regimen used by the patients.

Results

The BMI among adults (p<0.001), the WC (p<0.001 and p<0.014 for men and women, respectively) and the CI (p = 0.001 and p<0.001 for men and women, respectively) increased at the end of the study in the group of individuals who did not consume BFC and remained stable in the BFC group. There were no changes in WHR in any of the groups evaluated. Regarding the antiretroviral regimens used, we observed that there was no difference between regimens as for BMI, WC, WHR and CI.

Conclusions

The BFC consumed by HIV patients undergoing HAART allowed the maintenance of anthropometric measures without increasing the mean values of conicity index, suggesting that the consumption of this bioactive compound protects the individual against the development of metabolic syndrome (MeS) in patients infected with HIV undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

The Effectiveness of a Bioactive Food Compound in the Lipid Control of Individuals with HIV/AIDS

Cardiovascular events due to decompensated lipid metabolism are commonly found in Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients using anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the effect of a bioactive food compound (BFC) containing functional foods on individuals with HIV undergoing HAART. Particularly, this study aims to verify the clinical outcome in the change of the lipid profile due to the use of this compound. This study includes 115 individuals with HIV on HAART. All patients received dietary guidelines; however, sixty-one consumed BFC while fifty-one did not (NO BFC). Biochemical examinations and socio-demographic and clinical profiles were evaluated. As result, in patients using hypolipidemic and/or hypoglycemic drugs, there was 28.6% decrease in triglyceride levels (p < 0.001) in the NO BFC group, and 18.3% reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p < 0.001) in the BFC group. In patients who did not use hypolipidemic and/or hypoglycemic drugs in the NO BFC group, there was 30.6% increase in triglycerides, 11.3% total cholesterol and 15.3% LDL-C levels (p < 0.001) while for the BFC group there was 4.5% reduction in total cholesterol (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study evidenced that the dietary intervention containing BFC positively affected in lipid control, since these HIV/AIDS patients using HAART are more vulnerable to lipid disorders.