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Health benefits of phytochemicals in functional foods |
R. H. LIU, Dept. of Food Science, Cornell Univ., 108 Stocking Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-7201 Cardiovascular disease and cancer are ranked the first and second respectively as the leading causes of death in the United States. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risks of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, cataract and age-related functional decline. Therefore dietary modification by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a practical strategy for the prevention of chronic diseases. Our group found that the antioxidant activity of the vitamin C in apples with skin accounts for only 0.4% of the total antioxidant activity suggesting the majority of antioxidant activity of fruits and vegetables may come from phenolics and flavonoids. We proposed that the additive and synergistic effects of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are responsible for their potent antioxidant and anticancer activities, and that the benefit of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is attributed to the complex mixture of phytochemicals present in whole foods. This presentation will cover our current research on the health benefits of phytochemicals, and focus on the additive and synergistic effects of phytochemicals in the regulation of gene expression, and their potential applications in functional foods. This data provides convincing evidence about the positive role of fruit and vegetable consumption in the prevention of chronic diseases, and encourages consumers to change their dietary behaviors in order to obtain their antioxidants from fruits and vegetables for health improvement and disease prevention.
Session 39, Natural health products and dietary supplements
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