Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2010

A combination of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and globalization has resulted in rapid changes in diets and lifestyles for many populations. The impact of these changes is significant for the health and nutritional status of such populations, particularly in the developing world. The negative consequences of the nutrition transition include poor nutrition and decreased physical activity, with a corresponding Read More

Our diet plays an essential role in both the prevention and the natural history of cardiovascular disease. Recent population studies have shown that several foods (e.g., oily fish, fruit and vegetables, garlic, and fiber) have a clearly cardioprotective effect and should be consumed by patients at risk of vascular disease. In other foods, this effect is found alongside properties such as high energy content (eg, nuts or olive oil). Some Read More

The Leguminosae are the third largest flowering plant family and includes more than 19,000 species, a small part of them considered edible for man and animals. Grain legumes such as soybean, chickpea, pea, lentil, common bean, faba bean or peanut are the main protein source together with cereals in many developing countries. They also form part of the Mediterranean diet and some of them are consumed after microb Read More

Biogenic amines (BAs) are defined as low molecular weight organic bases with biological activity. They are formed and degraded as part of the normal metabolism of microorganisms, plants and animals, in which they have important physiological functions. In humans, BAs are involved in brain activity, the regulation of body temperature and stomach pH, gastric acid secretion, the immune response, and cell growth and dif Read More