Disease Prevention Supplement Research Articles

Bromelain: a review of its mechanisms, pharmacological effects and potential applications.

The utilization of plant-derived supplements for disease prevention and treatment has long been recognized because of their remarkable potential. Ananas comosus, commonly known as pineapple, produces a group of enzymes called bromelain, which contains sulfhydryl moieties. Recent studies have shown that bromelain exhibits a wide range of activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-rheumatic properties. These properties make bromelain a promising drug candidate for the treatment of various diseases. The anti-inflammatory activity of bromelain has been shown to be useful in treating inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma, whereas the anti-cancer activity of bromelain is via induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, and enhancement of the body's immune response. The anti-diabetic property of bromelain is owing to the improvement in glucose metabolism and reduction in insulin resistance. The therapeutic potential of bromelain has been investigated in numerous preclinical and clinical studies and a number of patents have been granted to date. Various formulations and delivery systems are being developed in order to improve the efficacy and safety of this molecule, including the microencapsulated form to treat oral inflammatory conditions and liposomal formulations to treat cancer. The development of novel drug delivery systems and formulations has further ameliorated the therapeutic potential of bromelain by improving its bioavailability and stability, while reducing the side effects. This review intends to discuss various properties and therapeutic applications of bromelain, along with its possible mechanism of action in treating various diseases. Recent patents and clinical trials concerning bromelain have also been covered.

Phytochemical Screening and Toxicity Assessment of <>Imperata cylindrica</i> (L.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae) Raw Extracts with Brine Shrimp (<i>Artemia salina</i>) Lethality Assay

Background: Herbal medicinal preparations are used as dietary supplements for disease prevention and as alternative/complementary medicine. The growing interest in herbal medicine raises the question of its safety and efficacy. Numerous recorded cases of intoxication and toxicological studies reveal that medicinal plants can be toxic, which hinders their safe use. Plant intoxications related to a variety of factors include plant organs and many extraction solvents. Little toxicological data on medicinal plants is available. The need to investigate is important for safe use. Imperata cylindrica, a poaceae, is one of the medicinal plants for which few toxicological data are available. Materials & Methods: To expand toxicological data, water, 70% ethanol, and 30% acetone extracts of the leaves and roots, obtained by maceration and reflux methods, were used for phytochemicals molecules qualitative detection and toxicity test by the brine shrimp lethality assay. Results: The qualitative analysis of the different extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, polyphenolic compounds, saponins, and polyterpenoids. The toxicity endpoint was lethal concentration 50 (LC50). The leaves’ extracts LC50 was between 489.78 μg/mL and 1066.6 μg/mL. As for the root extracts, the LC50 was between 341.98 μg/mL and 1530 μg/mL. Discussion: The different compounds’ presence justifies the use of Imperata cylindrica as a medicinal plant. According to Clarkson classification the root extracts are moderately toxic (LC50: 168.47 μg/mL), and leaf extracts are weakly toxic (LC50: 527.25 μg/mL). The extrapolation made in relation to the Gosselin, Smith, and Hodge scale, allows us to characterize the Imperata cylindrica root and leaf extracts as non-toxic to humans by oral route. Conclusion: This result can be a base for more precise toxicological studies.

Safety assessment of natural products in Malaysia: current practices, challenges, and new strategies.

The belief that natural products are inherently safe is a primary reason for consumers to choose traditional medicines and herbal supplements for health maintenance and disease prevention. Unfortunately, some natural products on the market have been found to contain toxic compounds, such as heavy metals and microbes, as well as banned ingredients such as aristolochic acids. It shows that the existing regulatory system is inadequate and highlights the importance of thorough safety evaluations. In Malaysia, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency is responsible for the regulatory control of medicinal products and cosmetics, including natural products. For registration purpose, the safety of natural products is primarily determined through the review of documents, including monographs, research articles and scientific reports. One of the main factors hampering safety evaluations of natural products is the lack of toxicological data from animal studies. However, international regulatory agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority and the United States Food and Drug Administration are beginning to accept data obtained using alternative strategies such as non-animal predictive toxicological tools. Our paper discusses the use of state-of-the-art techniques, including chemometrics, insilico modelling and omics technologies and their applications to the safety assessments of natural products.

국내산 녹용 열수추출물의 특성

Velvet antlers (VA) sourced from red (Cervus elaphus), sika (C. nippon), and elk (C. canadensis) deer have become increasingly popular in Chinese, Korean and Japanese traditional and oriental medicines as supplements for disease prevention. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the chemical components (proximate composition, amino, uronic, and sialic acids) and to characterize the bacterial profile of VA extract. The yield and contents of uronic and sialic acids extracted from VA at 98-100°C for 29-36 sec were determined to be 40.71%, 28.06 mg/g and 0.73 mg/g, respectively. Overall, proximate parameters were higher in extracts recovered at 100°C compared with 90°C, and these parameters were: moisture (4.66%), crude protein (86.63%), crude fat (3.23%), crude ash (4.1%), and carbohydrate content (5.43%). Alanine was the most abundant among the identified amino acids. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequence identified 12 bacterial species, including seven gram-positive and five gram-negative bacteria. Among all bacteria, Chryseobacterium indologenes, Shigella flexneri ATCC 29903, Staphylococcus equorum, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus succinus, and Vagococcus fluvialis had 100% identity in the VA extract. The morphology of C. indologene, S. flexneri ATCC 29903, and V. fluvialis was bacilli, whereas S. equorum, S. succinus, and S. xylosus were cocci.

Integrative medicine smart phrase pilot study: Evaluating an EHR tool to improve providers’ attitudes, knowledge and use of herbal and dietary supplements

ContextWhile many patients use herbal and dietary supplements (H/DS) for wellness, disease prevention and treatment, providers still cite a lack of resources and formal training as barriers to responding to patients’ inquiries about H/DS. Although the federal government, academic institutions and the private sector now offer more opportunities for education and research on H/DS, greater support in real time is needed to facilitate providers during the clinical encounter. ObjectiveThis small, pilot study evaluates the effects of implementation of smart phrases in the electronic health record (EHR) and an educational intervention on providers’ knowledge, attitude and use of H/DS in the clinical encounter. Design, Setting and ParticipantsThe study was conducted at The Institute for Family Health (IFH), a Federally Qualified Health Center and academic health center which operates the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health in affiliation with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Baseline and post-intervention surveys were conducted to explore providers’ attitudes, knowledge and use of integrative medicine (IM) smart phrases on H/DS. Main Outcome MeasuresProviders’ awareness of smart phrases of H/DS, knowledge of the content, confidence in using smart phrases to discuss H/DS, self-reported use of smart phrases were measured. ResultsA total of 32 subjects participated in the intervention and completed the baseline survey. Only half of the participants were familiar with the IM smart phrases in our system and 12.5% felt they were aware of the information covered in these smart phrases. Eighteen of 32 participants completed the post-intervention assessment. The intervention was successful in statistically increasing participants’ self-reported awareness of the information covered in the IM smart phrases (p<0.01). Increased confidence in using IM smart phrases to initiate patients on a new supplement showed statistical significance (p=0.03). There were no clear patterns in reported behavior changes following the training with the exception of a significant increase in the self-reported frequency of past month use of IM smart phrases during a patient visit (p=0.01). Lastly, there were no changes in the frequency of smart phrase use in the EHR. ConclusionThe implementation and adoption of evidence-based use of H/DS in the clinical encounter requires a sustained educational component to make the availability of smart phrases via technology (EHR) an effective strategy.

Natural ACE inhibitory peptides discovery from Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) strain C1

Bioactive peptides from natural sources are utilized as food supplements for disease prevention and are increasingly becoming targets for drug discovery due to their specificity, efficacy and the absence of undesirable side effects, among others. Hence, the ‘SpirPep’ platform was developed to facilitate the in silico-based bioactive peptide discovery of these highly sought-after biomolecules from Spirulina(Arthrospira platensis) and to select the protease (thermolysin) used for in vitro digestion. Analysis of the predicted and experimentally-derived peptides suggested that they were mainly involved in ACE inhibition; thus, an ACEi assay was used to study the ACE inhibitory activity of five candidate peptides (SpirPep1-5), chosen from common peptides with multifunctional bioactivity and 100% bioactive peptide coverage, originating from phycobiliproteins. Results showed that SpirPep1 inhibited the activity of ACE with IC50 of 1.748 mM and was non-toxic to fibroblasts of African green monkey kidney and human dermal skin. The molecular docking and MD simulation analysis revealed SpirPep1 had significantly lower binding scores than others and showed greater specificity to ACE. The non-bonded interaction energy of SpirPep1 and ACE was −883 kJ/mol. The SpirPep1 indirectly bound to ACE via the ACE substrate binding sites residues (D121, E123, S516, and S517) found in natural ACE inhibitory peptides (angiotensin II and bradykinin potentiating peptides). In addition, two unreported substrate binding sites including R124 and S219 were found. These results indicate that ‘SpirPep’ platform could increase the success rate for natural bioactive peptide discovery.

Preventive Effects of Total Flavonoid C-Glycosides from Abrus mollis on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease through Activating the PPARα Signaling Pathway.

Abrus pulchellus subsp. mollis (Hance) Verdc. (Leguminosae) is a well-known edible plant usually added to soups and beverages. In this study, vicenin-2 (1: ), isoschaftoside (2: ), schaftoside (3: ), and their enrichment fraction, total flavonoid C-glycosides, derived from the extracts of A.mollis, were firstly found to prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease both in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, total flavonoid C-glycosides decreased the lipid accumulation in oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells. The mechanisms of total flavonoid C-glycosides are involved in the regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and its downstream, and the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines. In high-fat diet-induced fatty liver rats, total flavonoid C-glycosides decreased the levels of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminease and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and decreased the lipid accumulation both in the liver and blood without affecting food intake. In addition, total flavonoid C-glycosides also increased the activities of the antioxidant enzyme system in vivo. In conclusion, total flavonoid C-glycosides are active components of A.mollis on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and can be used in functional food and supplements for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease prevention and treatment.

Anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in prevention of diseases in geriatric people

As our age advances, many changes are seen in our body, such as cellular changes, cardiovascular problems, cerebrovascular diseases, including cancer mediated by inflammation and their mediators such as free radicals (ROS, RNS), cytokines, transcription factors (NF-KB, STAT3) due to altered dietary patterns and digestive disorders. The disease pattern can be suppressed by including anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in our diet to prevent various diseases in geriatric peoples associated with inflammation. Chronic activation of the inflammatory response, defined as inflammation, is the key physio-pathological substrate for anabolic resistance, sarcopenia and frailty in older individuals. Nutrients can theoretically modulate this phenomenon. This article briefs about anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in prevention of diseases associated with inflammation in geriatric people.

Anti-Inflammatory Dietary Supplements in Prevention of Diseases

Gerontology & Geriatrics studies Anti-Inflammatory Dietary Supplements in Prevention of Diseases Shrihari TG* Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Krishnadevaraya Dental College and hospital, India *Corresponding author: Shrihari TG, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology Krishnadevaraya dental college and hospital, Bangalore -562157, Karnataka, India Submission: September 11, 2017; Published: January 19, 2018 DOI: 10.31031/GGS.2018.01.000522 ISSN : 2578-0093Volume1 Issue5

A Review of Dietary Ziziphus jujuba Fruit (Jujube): Developing Health Food Supplements for Brain Protection.

The fruits of Ziziphus jujuba, known as jujube or Chinese date, are being consumed all around the world because of their health benefits, as both food and herbal medicine. Traditionally, one of the main functions of jujube, as described in herbal medicine, is to benefit our brain by calming down the mind and improving quality of sleep. Here, the activities of jujubes on nervous system are summarized and discussed. Jujube possesses neuroprotective activities, including protecting neuronal cells against neurotoxin stress, stimulating neuronal differentiation, increasing expression of neurotrophic factors, and promoting memory and learning. Flavonoid, cAMP, and jujuboside could be the potential bioactive ingredients to account for the aforesaid biological activities. These findings imply that jujube is a potential candidate for development of health supplements for prevention and/or treatment of neurological diseases.

Herbal supplements for health promotion and disease prevention.

This three-part series is designed to provide clinicians with a working knowledge of using herbal supplements for health and disease states. Common herbal preparations used for health promotion or disease prevention will be featured in this part of the series.

Nutritional Supplements Use and Physical Work Capacity Test in Different Areas of Field Firefighter

Having the physical capabilities to fight fires and protect lives is very important to all firefighters. They often use nutritional supplements for disease prevention and health promotion. In different areas of field firefighters, their workloads and the choice to use nutritional supplements maybe different. PURPOSE:This study was to investigate the nutritional supplements use, nutrition knowledge and physical work capacity tests in different areas of field firefighters of Kaohsiung City Fire Department, Taiwan. METHODS:The final sample of 356 field firefighters were obtained from 25 branches in urban, suburban, and exurban areas. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire in which they were asked about the types of nutritional supplements use (vitamins/minerals, carbohydrate/protein supplements, energy regulatory products, and Health food), the resources of nutrition information, the reasons for use, and nutrition knowledge test. The physical work capacity test score (includes 3000-meter run, shuttle run, heavy load and run, horizontal bar, weight lifting, push-up, and sit-up) was offered by Training and Education Division in Kaohsiung City Fire Department. RESULTS:The prevalence of nutritional supplements use was 50.8% (urban 54.9 %, suburban 43.2%, and exurban 39.9%). The most commonly-used nutritional supplements were Health food (68.2%) and vitamin/mineral (19.0%). The decision to use nutritional supplements was mostly driven by their friends (18.7%). Two major reasons for using nutritional supplements were to eliminated the fatigue (19.1%) and enhance immune function (15.5%). Overall, supplement users have significantly higher scores of nutrition knowledge test than non-users (72.4 ± 19.9 vs. 65.2 ± 26.5, p<0.001). There were no significant differences between three areas in total physical work capacity test score (urban 91.1 ± 8.25, suburban 89.3 ± 9.05, and exurban 90.2 ± 8.04, p=0.39). However, the urban and suburban field firefighters have significantly higher heavy load and run, push-up, sit-up and weight lifting scores than exurban field firefighters. CONCLUSIONS:These results can provide information for their senior officers and can be a reference of nutrition education for dietitians and health educators.

The water extract of Angelica Sinensis Radix protects cultured PC12 cells against oxidative stress: suppression of reactive oxygen species and activation of anti-oxidant response elements

Objective: Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR; Dang Gui; the root of Angelica sinensis) is a herbal supplement that has been used in invigorating blood circulation. Here, we provided different lines of evidence to support the beneficial role of ASR against oxidative stress in cultured PC12 cell, a rat pheochromocytoma cell line. Methods: The water extract of ASR inhibited the activity of xanthine oxidase in vitro. In cultures, the pre-treatment of ASR water extract reduced the cytotoxic effect of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP), an oxidative stress inducer. Results: The protecting mechanisms of ASR were shown to be mediated by: (i) suppression of tBHP-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation; (ii) induction of caspase-3 and PARP activities; and (iii) stimulation of mRNAs encoding antioxidative genes, glutathione S-transferase A2 (GSTA2) and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), via the transcriptional activation of antioxidant response element (ARE). The outcome was the prevention of tBHP-induced cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Interestingly, the protective effect of ASR extract in PC12 cells were insignificant when challenging by insults of -amlyoid (for Alzheimer’s disease) and MPP+ (for Parkinson’s disease). Taken together, we revealed a neurobeneficial role of ASR in protecting neuronal cells against oxidative damage, which might be useful in developing health food supplements for disease prevention in future.

Antioxidants: basic principles, emerging concepts, and problems.

The radical scavenging antioxidants play an essential role in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases, and a thorough understanding of the action and capacity of antioxidants is critically important. Despite the assumption that antioxidants must exert beneficial effects against oxidative stress, many large-scale randomized controlled trials gave inconsistent and disappointing results on the prevention of chronic diseases. It is now generally accepted that there is no evidence to support the use of non-discriminative antioxidant supplements for prevention of diseases. On the other hand, recent data show that antioxidants may be effective in the prevention and/or treatment of diseases when the right antioxidant is given to the right subject at the right time for the right duration. Now it is accepted that reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as physiologically important signaling messengers as well as deleterious agents. The signaling ROS are produced in a subtly regulated manner, while many deleterious ROS are produced and react randomly. Free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation products which, in contrast to enzymatic oxidation products, are produced by non-specific mechanisms cause oxidative damage, but may also induce adaptive response to enhance the expression of antioxidant enzymes and compounds. This has raised a question if removal of too many ROS by supplementation of antioxidants may upset the cell signaling pathways and actually increase the risk of chronic diseases. However, it is unlikely that antioxidants impair physiologically essential signaling pathways.

Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

In this issue, 3 articles address vitamin and mineral supplements for prevention of chronic diseases. The editorialists discuss the articles' findings and their implications for public health and r...

Antioxidant supplements and mortality

Oxidative damage to cells and tissues is considered involved in the aging process and in the development of chronic diseases in humans, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, the leading causes of death in high-income countries. This has stimulated interest in the preventive potential of antioxidant supplements. Today, more than one half of adults in high-income countries ingest antioxidant supplements hoping to improve their health, oppose unhealthy behaviors, and counteract the ravages of aging. Older observational studies and some randomized clinical trials with high risks of systematic errors ('bias') have suggested that antioxidant supplements may improve health and prolong life. A number of randomized clinical trials with adequate methodologies observed neutral or negative results of antioxidant supplements. Recently completed large randomized clinical trials with low risks of bias and systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials taking systematic errors ('bias') and risks of random errors ('play of chance') into account have shown that antioxidant supplements do not seem to prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases, or death. Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase mortality. Some recent large observational studies now support these findings. According to recent dietary guidelines, there is no evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements in the primary prevention of chronic diseases or mortality. Antioxidant supplements do not possess preventive effects and may be harmful with unwanted consequences to our health, especially in well-nourished populations. The optimal source of antioxidants seems to come from our diet, not from antioxidant supplements in pills or tablets.

Efficacy of vitamin and antioxidant supplements in prevention of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objective To assess the efficacy of vitamin and antioxidant supplements in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Design Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Data sources and study selection PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library,...

Probiotic supplement use among young children in Taiwan: a prospective cohort study.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to provide details on probiotic supplement use among young children in Taiwan.Participants and MethodsThis study is based on the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study database. We used questionnaires to collect information on probiotic supplement use among young children from birth to 18 months of age, while also considering their demographic characteristics and other covariates. Low-birth-weight infants, preterm infants, those with birth defects, and those with caregivers who returned incomplete questionnaires were excluded. The final valid sample comprised 16,991 cases.ResultsApproximately half the children received probiotic supplements before the age of 18 months. Only 6.3% of the children received probiotic supplements during the two periods of birth to 6 months and 7 to 18 months. Firstborn children, native mothers, mothers with higher educational levels, higher family income, and parents who lead healthy lifestyles were positively related to probiotic supplement use among children. Young children who were breastfed, with eczema, or with gastrointestinal tract problems were significantly positively associated with probiotic supplement use.ConclusionThe findings show that probiotic supplement usage among young children is associated with a more socially advantaged circumstance and certain child health factors, such as eczema, diarrhea, and constipation. Parents might use probiotic supplements for prevention or treatment of child diseases. The findings of this research could serve as a baseline for future studies, and provide insight into probiotic supplement use behavior for health professionals caring for infants and young children.

Inhibitory effect of MIL glycoprotein on expression of pro‐inflammatory mediators in carbon tetrachloride‐induced mice liver damage

The aim of the present study was to evaluate immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective effects of glycoprotein isolated from Morus indica Linne (MIL glycoprotein) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4) )-induced liver injury. In the present study, MIL glycoprotein (5 and 10 mg kg(-1) body weight) was administered to ICR mice for 7 days prior to CCl(4) treatment. We evaluated the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and expression of inflammation-related mediators including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-1 beta in CCl(4) -treated mice. Our results revealed that MIL glycoprotein reduced the activities of ALT, LDH and TBARS in serum from CCl(4) -treated mice. We also found that MIL glycoprotein reduced the activity of COX-2 and expression of TNF-α and IL-1 beta in liver from CCl(4) -treated mice. Moreover, administration of MIL glycoprotein suppressed on stress-activated protein kinase/c-jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylation and activator protein-1 transcriptional activation in livers from CCl(4) -treated mice. The results from these experiments indicate that MIL glycoprotein effectively protects against liver injury, mainly through downregulation of oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. In conclusion, we suggest that the MIL glycoprotein might be one component of health supplements for prevention of liver diseases.

Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century: Federal Initiatives to Advance Research

The role for dietary supplements for health maintenance and disease prevention is receiving increasingly more attention in the public media as well as in academic institutions and research centers. The mission of the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements is to support and promote the science on the benefits and risks of dietary supplements. To this end, Office of Dietary Supplements supports a number of initiatives to advance the evidence base on vitamin D. These initiatives include an evidence-based review on the relationship of vitamin D and calcium intakes to nutrient status indicators and health outcomes; developing and validating analytical methods for measuring vitamin D in biological fluids and foods; support for continued collection of vitamin D status indicators through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; and funding for National Institutes of Health grants on vitamin D and related health outcomes. Taken together, these programs address research gaps and needs to further the science and exploration of the role of vitamin D in health.