Abstract
BackgroundNumerous studies acknowledged the importance of an adequate vegetable consumption for human health. However, current methods to estimate vegetable intake are often prone to measurement errors due to self-reporting and/or insufficient detail. More objective intake biomarkers for vegetables, using biological specimens, are preferred. The only concentration biomarkers currently available are blood carotenoids and vitamin C, covering total fruit and vegetable intake. Identification of biomarkers for specific vegetables is needed for a better understanding of their relative importance for human health. Within the FoodBAll Project under the Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life”, an ambitious action was undertaken to identify candidate intake biomarkers for all major food groups consumed in Europe by systematically reviewing the existent literature. This study describes the review on candidate biomarkers of food intake (BFIs) for leafy, bulb, and stem vegetables, which was conducted within PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for studies published through March 2019.ResultsIn total, 65 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility for leafy vegetables, and 6 full-text articles were screened for bulb and stem vegetables. Putative BFIs were identified for spinach, lettuce, endive, asparagus, artichoke, and celery, but not for rocket salad. However, after critical evaluation through a validation scheme developed by the FoodBAll consortium, none of the putative biomarkers appeared to be a promising BFI. The food chemistry data indicate that some candidate BFIs may be revealed by further studies.ConclusionFuture randomized controlled feeding studies combined with observational studies, applying a non-targeted metabolomics approach, are needed in order to identify valuable BFIs for the intake of leafy, bulb, and stem vegetables.
Highlights
Numerous studies acknowledged the importance of an adequate vegetable consumption for human health
Bulb and stem vegetables have been less extensively studied than leafy vegetables and constitute a rather heterogenous group including in particular celery, artichoke and asparagus
Asparagus (Asparagus officinialis with Asparagales as the botanical family) on its turn is a rich source of asparagine, potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidative glycolipids [13]
Summary
Numerous studies acknowledged the importance of an adequate vegetable consumption for human health. The potential impact of vegetable intake on human health has been extensively explored in nutritional epidemiological studies, showing beneficial. 95 prospective studies recently revealed that a high intake of leafy green vegetables was associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (10 studies, RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.75–0.91), stroke (4 studies, RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.81–0.95), and a 24% reduction in all-cause mortality for each 100 g/day increment in intake [1]. Garden rocket (Eruca sativa), a green-leafy vegetable from the Brassicaceae, has been proposed to possess anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ulcer properties [8, 9]. Asteraceae is another botanical family of leafy vegetables representing amongst others endive and lettuce. Asparagus (Asparagus officinialis with Asparagales as the botanical family) on its turn is a rich source of asparagine, potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidative glycolipids [13]
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