Flavonoids

 

Discussion and assignment

ASSIGNMENT 1

Define your phytochemical. What is it?

Flavonoids are natural products founds in plants that have a polyphenolic structure (Panche et al, 2016). They are secondary metabolites that have variable structures and plant pigment. Flavonoids are beneficial to plants in growth and defense, and for human health.  Flavonoid is sub-grouped into  chalcones-they are found in  wheat products, tomatoes, strawberries, among other sources, flavones- they are found in  flowers and fruits such as red peppers, citrus fruits, mint, celery, among other sources, flavanones-they  are found in oranges, lemon among other source, flavonols- they are found in onions, grapes, lettuce, among other source, flavanonols- they are found in bananas, pears, apples, among other  sources, anthocyanins-they are found in  cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, red grapes, among  other sources (Panche et al, 2016). Flavonoid compounds are used in the plant kingdom but they are visible in the flower pigments. In plants, flavonoids give plants colors, and in fruits, it attracts pollinators and helps in fruit dispersion (Panche et al, 2016). In plants, flavonoids also act as UV filters and as a defensive agent again biotic and abiotic stresses.

Tell us food sources your phytochemical can be found in

 Flavonoids are found in fruits and vegetables such as apple, citrus fruit, spinach, oranges, legumes, and more (Panche et al, 2016). They are also found in beverages such as green and black tea.

 

Is there a time when your phytochemical is more abundant in your food source? Examples: early growth stage, after cooking.

 Flavonoids are more abundant in food source after cooking. Raw vegetables are not healthier and cooking is crucial in that cooked vegetables contain more antioxidants (Gunathilake et al, 2018). For example, cooked carrots have a high level of beta-carotene, and cooked spinach, and other vegetables have a high level of antioxidants. Cooked vegetables increase their flavonoid content (Gunathilake et al, 2018). Thus, it is important to cook vegetables to increase the antioxidant properties.

 Explain what your phytochemical does for the human body.

Flavonoids have many health benefits. They are involved in different biochemical actions which include;

Anti-cholinesterase activity

 Acetylcholinesterase breaks down neural acetylcholine and if it is blocked or inhibited, the neural acetylcholine levels increases and communicate to brain cells, and as a result, it provides symptomatic relief of Alzheimer's disease. Since the drug development focus on discovering an effective drug for the inhibition of cholinesterase, research has shown that flavonoids have anticholinesterase activity.

Anti-inflammatory activity

Cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX) produce prostaglandins that are the response for providing vascular homeostasis and inflammation stimulus (Panche et al, 2016). The research has found that flavonoids such as flavonols and flavones have good anti-inflammatory activity

Xanthine oxidase modulators

Xanthine Oxidase promotes the oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and xanthine to uric acid.  Note that when the level of the uric acid is high, it can cause complications (Panche et al, 2016).  The research has found that flavonoids have XO-inhibitor acidity and the XO inhibitors prevent inflammatory ailments.

Disease-combating activity

 Researchers have found that flavonoids have immune-regulatory roles. A diet that contains flavonoid prevents CVD risk factors. Flavonoids also have therapeutic agents that prevent the risk of hypertension and improves vascular health (Panche et al, 2016). Food rich in flavonoids improves endothelial function. Apple and in specific the pelingo apple inhibit in vitro tumorigenesis and thus it can be used in the chemopreventive activity (Panche et al, 2016).  Fenugreek seeds reduce cell deterioration and tannin-rich food inhibit pancreatic lipase.

Anticancer effect of flavonoids

             Cancer is a burden in some countries and the main causes of cancer are behavioral factors such as lack of physical activity and consumption of unhealthy foods (Ruiz‐Cruz et al, 2017). The research has found that pharmacological properties that are found in flavonoids inhibit cell damage and thus, it reduces cancer incidence. Flavonoids also inhibit the cell proliferation and provide chemopreventive effects, and therefore reduce the risk of cancer.

Flavonoids benefits on the cardiovascular system

             Research finds that people suffer from cardiovascular diseases due to reduced consumption of fruits and consumption (Ruiz‐Cruz et al, 2017). However, flavonoids have antioxidant properties that prevent cardiovascular diseases and prevent coronary diseases. The antioxidant properties provide cardioprotection through preventing blood clot, preventing LDLs oxidization, and inhibition role.

 

 

References

 

Gunathilake, K. D. P. P., Ranaweera, K. K. D. S., & Rupasinghe, H. (2018). Effect of Different Cooking

Methods on Polyphenols, Carotenoids and Antioxidant Activities of Selected Edible

Leaves. Antioxidants, 7(9), 117.

 

Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of         nutritional science, 5.

 

Ruiz‐Cruz, S., Chaparro‐Hernández, S., Hernández‐Ruiz, K. L., Cira‐Chávez, L. A., Estrada‐Alvarado, M. I.,

Ortega, L. E. G., ... & Mata, M. A. L. (2017). Flavonoids: Important Biocompounds in Food.

In Flavonoids-From Biosynthesis to Human Health. IntechOpen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENT 2

Your vitamin/mineral: Vitamin A

Define your vitamin/mineral what is it – in its natural form – not synthetic.

Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient and fat-soluble vitamin. It is naturally obtained in many foods and the main sources are animal sources such as egg yolk, cheese, milk, and other sources, and plant sources such as carrots, maize, papaya, and other sources (Blake, 2017). 

Where is it found?   What parts of the world is most abundant?

Vitamin A is categorized into two types of Vitamins.  Preformed vitamin which is obtained from animal foods and provitamin A which is obtained from plants (Blake, 2017). The parts of the world where Vitamin A is more abundant are affluent countries such as Europe, United States, North American, and Australia (Ang et al, 1999). These countries consume vegetables, fruits, and dairy products.   

What is the human body function of your vitamin/mineral?   

• Vitamin A maintains the function of the epithelial tissue (Blake, 2017).
• It maintains vision
• It maintains a healthy immune system
• It helps in growth and development
• It aids in reproductive function
• It helps bone formation
• It prevents anemia by producing red blood cells (Blake, 2017).

What is the adult RDA or daily needs or adequate intake?

 The adequate intake for adults is 900 μg RE for males and 700 μg RE for females (Blake, 2017).

Give an exact example of what you would need to eat to meet your daily needs. 

 To meet the daily needs, one is supposed to eat liver, sweet potatoes, spinach, eggs, dark-green leafy, broccoli, carrots, mango, kale, red peppers, pumpkin, among other sources (Blake, 2017).

Identify three other food sources and how much vitamin/mineral is in a serving.  

Other food sources include ¼ cantaloupe= 233 micrograms, I medium sweet potato=1096 micrograms, and a ½ cup of spinach=573 micrograms (Blake, 2017).

What are the effects of too much of the vitamin/mineral?  Is it toxic?

Too much consumption of vitamin A has a negative effect in that it leads to hypervitaminosis. This occurs because vitamin A in the liver accumulates and later causes toxicity (Blake, 2017).  It is also important to understand that toxicity does not occur from diet alone but it occurs due to the use of high-dose supplements.

How much is too much?

The amount of vitamin that is considered too much is 3,000 µg (Blake, 2017).

How much time does it take to see effects?     

One will suffer from acute hypervitaminosis A- after a few hours, and chronic hypervitaminosis A-after a period of time.

What are the effects of too little of the vitamin/mineral?            

Low levels of vitamin A or vitamin deficiency leads to negative effects on the body. It is important to note that there are two types of deficiency; primary deficiency- occur due to dietary deprivation, and secondary deficiency- occur due to interference with absorption (Blake, 2017). Thus, deficiency does not only occur due to undernutrition but it also occurs due to poor absorption or transportation of Vitamin A.  Deficiency causes:

• Too little of the vitamin or vitamin deficiency leads
• Night blindness
• xerophthalmia
• Stunting of bones
• Severe infection

How much is too little?

Too little vitamin A is less than 5,000 IU.  The latter is the Daily Value of vitamin A to both adults and children according to the   U.S Food and Drug Administration (National Institute of Health, 2013).

How much time does it take to see effects?      

 It will take a period of time to see the effects since deficiency will impair the immunity slowly by slowly.

 

Tell us something interesting about your vitamin/mineral.  Something not in the text. 

             The interesting thing about Vitamin A is that as adults obtain vitamin A from vegetables and fruits and babies obtain it from breast milk.  This means that pregnant women should ensure vitamin A in their diets to prevent infant mortality (Blake, 2017). A point to note is that pregnant women should avoid taking too much amount since it may cause birth defects. Thus, they should talk with the healthcare provider concerning the amount of vitamin A.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Ang Y.W., Catharina., Liu Keshun., & Huang Yao-Wen.  (1999). Asian Foods: Science and        Technology. CRC Press

 

National Institute of Health. (2013). Vitamin A. U.S Department of Health and Human Services.  Retrieved from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer

 

Blake, J. S. (2017). Nutrition & you. New Jersey : Pearson,