Abstract
Vegetables are essential for well-balanced diets since they supply phytonutriceuticals. About 3 billion people in the world are malnourished due to imbalanced diets. Regular consumption of a vegetable rich diet has undeniable effects on health since they have been strongly associated with improvement of gastrointestinal health, good vision, and reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic diseases such as diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The mechanism by which vegetables decrease risk of disease is complex and largely unknown. Some phytochemicals of vegetables are strong antioxidants and are thought to reduce the risk of chronic disease by protecting against free radical damage, by modifying metabolic activation and detoxification of carcinogens, or even by influencing processes that alter the course of tumor cells. The dietary fiber content and type of different vegetables may also contribute to the overall health benefit. Each vegetable contains a unique combination of phytonutriceuticals. A great diversity of vegetables should be eaten to ensure that individual’s diet includes a combination of phytonutriceuticals and to get all the health benefits.
Highlights
Vegetables are essential for well-balanced diets since they play a significant role in human nutrition, especially as sources of phytonutriceuticals: vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals [1,2,3,4]
There are a general belief among nutritionists and health profissionals that the health benefit of vegetables should not be linked to only one compound or one type of vegetable, but rather a balanced diet that includes more than one type of vegetable is likely to provide better protection
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin to humans that lack the ability to synthesize this vitamin, because they are deficient in the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase, an enzime involved in the biosynthesis of vitamin C via the glucuronic acid pathway
Summary
Vegetables are essential for well-balanced diets since they play a significant role in human nutrition, especially as sources of phytonutriceuticals: vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals [1,2,3,4]. The exact mechanisms by which vegetable consumption reduces human diseases have not yet been fully understood, the general consensus among physicians and nutritionists is that phytonutriceuticals in vegetables are responsible for mitigating some of these diseases. There are a general belief among nutritionists and health profissionals that the health benefit of vegetables should not be linked to only one compound or one type of vegetable, but rather a balanced diet that includes more than one type of vegetable is likely to provide better protection. 32 Journal of Nutritional Therapeutics, 2012 Vol 1, No 1 major classes of phytonutriceuticals in vegetables and their health benefits
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