CORN TO COMBAT THE EFFECTS OF SMOG. LATEST NEWS FROM CONGRESS NUTRACEUTICAL SINUT
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Not only is the block of cars, but also the correct power we can defend against damage from air pollution. "The corn, in particular, is a cereal that can fight the negative effects of smog we breathe every day in our city - says Cesare Sirtori, president of the Italian Society of Nutraceuticals (SINut) and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Milan.
High levels of flavonoids in maize develop defenses of our body against toxins called fumonisins, environmental toxins from fungi present in high concentration in the case of high humidity and atmospheric contamination. This type of power in favor of pursuing an activity on the health and life span. "It's just one example of the use of food as medicine that emerges from the II National Congress of SINut, held in Milan (Hotel Michelangelo) until 26 February with the participation of leading experts in the field.
"Nutraceuticals" is a broad term that includes the so-called functional foods (foods that provide calories useful, such as extra virgin olive oil, vegetable protein soy and lupine and bitter chocolate), food supplements (such as omega -3, polyunsaturated fatty acids extracted from fish), probiotics (cultures of bacteria that colonize the intestine improving its functionality) and prebiotics (non-digestible organic substances able to promote the growth of probiotic bacteria). Active ingredients of plant or animal origin, have been shown to be as effective as drugs in the treatment of various diseases (such as hypertension, depression, Alzheimer's disease and the metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women).
"Besides garlic, celery and lupine - said prof. Bruno Trimarco University of Naples Federico II - highlighted positive observations in the treatment of hypertension for potassium, zinc, magnesium and vitamins (B6 , C, D, E). Important results have been provided recently by the association between an extract of red rice and simsetina, a natural substance of plant origin. It was possible to demonstrate a clinically relevant reduction of the pressure and does not differ from that seen with antihypertensive drugs classics, as well as a significant drop in cholesterol".
The growth of the market for functional foods and supplements (close to 20% per year) is in contrast to the economic development of the country. Involving citizens in particular are not so young, in good economic conditions, which are intended to improve their health and physical appearance.
In the treatment of depression some natural substances are used in the event of failure of traditional therapies. "As evidenced by a study published in the prestigious 'American Journal of Psychiatry' - said Maurizio Fava, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts) - were achieved amazing results in depressed patients with failure to respond to standard therapy thanks to an amino acid (S-adenosylmethionine, present in all animal tissues), which helps produce serotonin and dopamine with an excellent tolerability ".
"The nutraceutical that combines the science of nutrition to the medical clinic, is the backbone of anti-aging medicine - says Giovanni Scapagnini, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Molise -., There are foods that stimulate the body's natural defenses organism and the Mediterranean diet, based on olive oil, fish and vegetables, is the paradigm for the prevention of many diseases. example, oleocanthal extracted from olive oil is a more powerful anti-inflammatory ibuprofen The resveratrol content in grapes, is able to activate the 'sirtuins', proteins that defend the cellular DNA from oxidative stress, increasing longevity, omega-3 triglycerides regularize and protect the heart. " The nutraceuticals may play a preventive action against degenerative diseases of the brain, before they evolve dramatically in AD. A new association (composed of omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, and phosphatidylinositol) showed, in patients with early cognitive defects, a significant improvement in global cognitive function and mood. "According to the latest data presented dall'Alzheimer Association - continues the prof. Scapagnini - there will be a tripling of cases by 2050. By that time it is expected that in the Western world, an elder in three will be affected by this disease. These numbers are huge, unsustainable for any health care system. The anti-aging medicine, which aims to prevent age-related chronic diseases, is therefore the science of the future. "
The quality of sleep can be affected by the use of nutraceuticals. The combination of melatonin, zinc and magnesium, inserted into the flesh of pear, improves sleep in elderly patients, with positive effects on mood.
It is also a great interest towards the lupine, a legume that at the time of the Egyptians and the Romans was a very important source of protein, but, after the arrival from America of new food plants (such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn), fell almost obsolete. Just a study on lupine is the prize "Master Alpro Foundation Award 2010" awarded today during the conference SINut, to Dr. Viviana De Vergori. "The work has measured the ability to lower cholesterol protein extracted from the seeds of lupine and pea and two soluble fiber, beta-glucans extracted from oats and pectin extracted from the skins of apples - concludes Anna Arnoldi, Professor of Chemistry Food at the University of Milan -. between the fibers, was better apple pectin which resulted in a mean decrease in serum cholesterol by 5.3%. further demonstration of the great health of apples. careful though, because only the peel contains pectin. Regarding protein, was superior to the lupine, which produced a 4.2% decrease in total cholesterol. A major result, because this is the first clinical study conducted at the international level this legume. "
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