Germination is recognized as a gentle, inexpensive biotechnology that is well-suited to tropical contexts for improving the nutritional and functional quality of cereal and legume seeds. In Côte d’Ivoire, maize (Zea mays L.) and white beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are strategic local raw materials for the formulation of foods with high nutritional value. However, their use is limited by the presence of antinutritional factors and sometimes reduced digestibility. This study evaluated the effect of germination on the enzymatic activities, antinutritional factors, functional properties, and digestibility of these seeds.
Limited research explores the interplay of food insecurity, physical activity, eating behaviors, and diet quality among Ceylon engineering undergraduates. This study investigates longitudinal changes in eating behaviors and their associations with food insecurity, physical activity, and diet quality among candidates for Ruhuna engineering, thereby addressing a critical gap through the formulation of hypotheses.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is a white odourless crystalline powder that is derived from L-glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid in a variety of food products, especially those rich in protein. Glutamate is a key component in determining the flavour of these foods. MSG adds a special taste to food, due to this special taste; many food producers use it for their products. Currently, people are busy with their technology-based busy work schedules in different sectors and in such a fast-paced life; they have minimal time for meal preparation, which makes most of them depend on “ready-made foods” or “junk foods”. Moreover, even when they prepare their own meals, they still make use of readymade condiments, spices, and seasonings containing MSG. The majority of such foods have harmful effects on human health. Widely using MSG in ready-made fast food significantly affects the appetite centre, resulting in overweight and different adverse impacts on humans and experimental animals. This paper helps to create global awareness of the harmful impact of MSG on human health and recommends the consumption of natural seasonings and spices as an alternative to MSG.
Processed foods have been produced since ancient civilizations, as consumable food available during disasters (natural, war), and off seasons1. With the industrial revolution during the last century, and the continuous growth of the world population, the definition and way of looking at processed foods have changed. These processed foods are useful to counter the food security issue to keep hunger at bay across the globe. Normally, food industries using high-end technologies produce ultra-processed food to preserve it for a longer duration rather than prioritize it to keep their nutritional values intact2. Every year, several chemical compounds are added to the extensive list of food additives. This extensive list is not concerned with nutritional values or potential health hazards leading to long-term health complications. Sometimes, after a prolonged period of selling ultra-processed food products, international bodies ban one particular food additive once major health issues are reported by physicians and major health organizations worldwide3. Unfortunately, the major part of the population has already borne the consequences due to that food additive. Therefore, careful monitoring of long-term health complications of ultra-processed foods in a medical laboratory prior to their commercialization is absolutely necessary. Diseases like cancer, thyroid malfunction, type 2 diabetes, digestive issues, kidney problems, cardiac issues, nutritional imbalance, and chronic non-communicable diseases occur upon long-term consumption of ultra-processed food products
The in vivo efficacy of dietary phytochemicals, known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties, is often limited by poor bioavailability. This constraint largely arises from cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)-mediated enzymatic metabolism. This review explores the potential of furanocoumarins from grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi Macfad.) to modulate the bioavailability of phytochemicals by inhibiting CYP3A4. A narrative review of the literature was conducted. The PubMed database was searched up to December 2024 using the keywords “phytochemistry,” “grapefruit juice,” “furanocoumarins,” “bioavailability,” and “CYP3A4”. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed English language articles with full-text availability. These publications were required to directly address either phytochemical bioavailability or the effects of grapefruit juice. The literature indicates that furanocoumarins in grapefruit juice are potent inhibitors of intestinal CYP3A4. This inhibition significantly impacts the metabolism of various drugs. While extensive research exists on drug-food interactions, studies on the interaction between furanocoumarins and food-derived phytochemicals are limited. The significant inhibitory effect of grapefruit juice on CYP3A4 suggests a potential for modulating the bioavailability of dietary polyphenols metabolized by this enzyme. Further research is warranted to explore specific polyphenol-CYP3A4 interactions to optimize phytochemical bioavailability for therapeutic benefits. Concurrently, it is imperative to consider potential risks in individuals taking CYP3A4-metabolized drugs.
Infant malnutrition in Côte d’Ivoire, characterized by protein and micronutrient deficiencies, persists despite the availability of underutilized local resources such as cashew and Parkia biglobosa pulp. Industrial flours, although nutritious, remain inaccessible to disadvantaged households due to their high cost, limiting access to suitable complementary foods. In the absence of affordable and safe solutions, this study evaluates the impact of enriching infant flours with local ingredients on nutritional intake and digestibility.
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is said to be a chronic disorder, known to cause persistent hyperglycemia. This leads to diabetes-related complications like neuropathy, dyslipidemia, nephropathy and retinopathy. Since the incidence and prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally, there is an urgent requirement of adjunct therapies. Recently, Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is attaining popularity among clinicians and researchers because of its potential anti-diabetic properties. This is due to its inbuilt bioactive compounds like polypeptide-p, charantin and vicine. The current review examines the mechanisms and possible benefits of bitter gourd in treating diabetes along with its safety profile and efficacy. It was found that the bioactive compound present in M.charantia helps to regulate the blood glucose level by its mechanism like increased insulin release and sensitivity. Also, it exerts anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect in diabetes. This helps to mitigate the diabetes related complications. Despite many evidences, challenges remain in creating a drug profile on standard formulations, optimal dose and its long-term safety. This limits its clinical application.Further well designed and large-scale clinical trials are needed to validate its drug profile, efficacy and safety in treatment of diabetes as an adjunct therapy.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious condition associated with increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). It has been found that OSA and obesity commonly coexist. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends diet-induced weight loss and exercise as lifestyle treatment options for OA. Epidemiological studies show that sleep apnea leads to increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
Alcohol dependence and related disabilities are a large burden for the population. Problems in families, working places and severe medical symptoms are often caused by alcoholism. Most of these patients never reach a specialized, high-quality treatment program. They get no specific withdrawal treatment, no specific psychosocial help, and only 3-5% get anticraving medications.
Alcohol habit represents a major public health problem, being a chief cause of both morbidity and mortality. Binge drinking, a particularly dangerous alcohol intake pattern, has been growing in the last years, especially in younger people. Alcohol use disorder is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-V) as the spectrum of a maladaptive pattern of alcohol intake with a noteworthy clinical impact. It is important to underline that no amount of alcohol is risk-free. The present review analyzes and discusses the evolution of alcohol habit, the complex clinical burden and the future perspectives with an interdisciplinary approach.
Alcohol, the most consumed drug in the world, is responsible for millions of deaths and a significant of disability-adjusted life years. Alcohol-related liver disease is the most recognized disease related to heavy ethanol consumption, whose pathophysiology we will cover extensively. However, pancreatitis, dilated cardiomyopathy, alcohol-related neurological diseases and other topics will be reviewed with detailed pathophysiological mechanisms and unifying concepts. Abstinence is the most effective treatment for alcohol-related disease, and an international effort should be made to promote a marked reduction in alcohol consumption.
Zinc and Selenium deficiency affects 39% of children in Pakistan, according to the recent National Nutritional Survey 2011. Considering the deficiency states of zinc in our population, interventional strategies have been employed, such as fortification of cereals, food products, and zinc preparations in suspension forms. Zinc biofortification is a better option as wheat flour is the most common and easily assessed food in resource-poor settings compared to the other fortification methods. Although zinc has been used to prevent and treat diarrhoea, the relationship of plasma zinc status with potentially pathogenic bacteria has not been studied.
Alcohol consumption at any level is associated with health loss from several diseases, although the population-level health risks associated with low levels of alcohol consumption varied across regions and are greater for younger populations than for older populations.
Nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean Diet effectively significantly reduces cardiovascular risk in a relatively short time in a population of Italian women. Given the absence of contraindications, the Mediterranean diet is an unparalleled preventive and clinical medicine tool.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the harmful use of alcohol stands as a primary risk factor affecting the global population’s health. In 2016, 5.5% of all deaths in the 30 countries of the European Union (EU) were attributed to alcohol. In the past year, 62.3% of adults in the WHO European Region consumed alcoholic beverages at least once, contributing to nearly one million deaths annually, averaging around 2,500 deaths per day.
Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to several consequences involving health, social, working, relational and economic fields. Acute alcohol Intoxication is the direct consequence of high alcohol consumption, particularly if consumed in a short time-frame. Traumas (e.g., road accidents, pedestrian injuries, head injuries, falls, crashes), violence (e.g., domestic) and suicide attempts represent the direct consequences. The number of admissions to emergency departments for acute alcohol intoxication is constantly rising.
Malnutrition, defined as an imbalanced nutritional intake due to different causes, still represents an open issue for clinicians. Cancer is the leading cause of malnutrition, even though other forms of nutritional chronic deficits as obesity, sarcopenia, aging and undernutrition should also be considered as important factors in non-oncological patients.
There is very limited (if any) literature on the potential use of corvids, specifically crows, as game meat. Despite the worldwide presence of corvids (including crows), especially in urban and other anthropogenic settings, a negative perception of this proposal might arise due to their scavenging of carcasses and waste. In some cases, diseases are present in crow meat, but assessments are still not widespread. This perspective proposes crow meat as a future research topic that merits closer examination, including whether diseases and pathogens infect meat and its nutritional status.
Aging is associated with the increasing prevalence of both type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis, especially in the elderly and female population.
Alcohol use disorder is both disabling to affected individuals and a public health concern associated with significant medical, psychological, and social ramifications. Despite advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of alcohol use disorder, relatively few pharmacotherapies are approved for use and are critically under-prescribed to individuals with alcohol use disorder. This review aims to synthesize literature on currently approved first-line and second-line medications and provide clinical considerations for their use. First-line medications – acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone, and nalmefene – have demonstrated varying levels of effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption or promoting abstinence. Second-line medications such as topiramate, baclofen, and gabapentin provide an option for individuals with alcohol use disorder who do not respond to first-line treatments; however, evidence for their efficacy is weaker than that of frontline options. The implementation of pharmacotherapy in clinical practice and the development of personalized medicine are of particular concern, given most individuals with alcohol use disorder are not offered medication. Ongoing research efforts into novel medications and the integration of pharmacotherapy with psychosocial interventions hold the potential to enhance treatment outcomes and alleviate the global burden of alcohol use disorder.
