Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 6, Issue 4, 2010

Olive oil, the major source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids in the Mediterranean basin, appears to be protective against various human diseases including cancer. Recent studies have reported that major and minor components of olive oil can significantly counteract carcinogenesis in mutant cells by activating specific metabolic pathways involved in the apoptosis. Apoptosis is a cell suicide programme essential for developing Read More

Prospective longevity is overshadowed by the high prevalence of mental decline in aging. Hence, nutritional indications are a crucial element in today's observed aging of the population. There is now growing epidemiological evidence suggesting that reduced levels of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA, 22:6, (n-3)] may be indicative of an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet includes Read More

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. RA causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in a person's joints and problems with functioning. Conventional medicine is used to relieve pain, reduce swelling, slow down or stop the damage to joints, help the person function better, and improve the person's sense of well-being. RA medications include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), disease-modifying ant Read More

Iron deficiency is one of the leading nutritional problems worldwide, affecting an estimated total of about 2 billion individuals. Nearly 40% of children younger than 5 years and about 50% of pregnant women in developing countries are anaemic. However, iron deficiency is also common in women and young children in industrialised countries. Due to developmental and maturational processes and needs, there are some pa Read More

Due to the low iron content of human milk, the dietary iron intake during the period of exclusive breast-feeding is very low. During the first months this low intake does not seem to severely impair the iron status of breast-fed infants, rather prenatally acquired iron stores are used. However, with iron requirements expanding related to rapid growth, additional dietary iron is needed in full-term appropriate-for-gestational-age breas Read More

Selenium (Se) content in soils varies greatly depending upon the parent rock, weathering, pH and texture. In general, total soil Se content of 0.1 to 0.6 mg kg-1 is considered deficient. Selenium deficiency regions in New Zealand, Denmark and the Atlantic Region of Canada contain 0.1 to 0.6 mg Se kg-1 in the soil. Soil acidity is an important factor resulting in decreased Se availability to crops. Selenium concentration in plants can Read More

Glucosinolates are the substituted esters of thio amino acids and their synthesis is based on the corresponding amino acids. Methionine and cysteine are the natural donors in the case of the Brassica plants and L tryptophane in the indole glucosinolates, respectively. In Brassica genus, alkenyl glucosinolates are mostly present and their content and composition differ as far as the development stage and the part of the p Read More

Ethnoveterinary remedies used for poultry and rabbits in British Columbia were obtained from interviews and a participatory workshop held with organic poultry and rabbit keepers in British Columbia. Medicinal plants are used to treat a range of conditions in small-scale organic agriculture. Nineteen species of plants representing 12 plant families were documented for treating poultry and eleven species from eight families f Read More