Search

Cadmium (Cd) preferentially accumulates in the kidney, the major target for Cd-related toxicity. Cd-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been considered crucial mediators for renal injury. The biologically significant ionic [...]

Introduction Obesity is a public health concern and constitutes one of the main predictors of metabolic syndrome (Ramos and Olden 2008). High fat diet (HFD) induced obesity in rodents is [...], Obesity is a public health problem contributing to morbidity and mortality from metabolic syndrome. It has long been recognized that there is a gender dependency in several obesity-related health risks. Using a high fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity in Wistar rats, we studied the gender dependency of fat-induced oxidative stress in the heart and liver, with a special emphasis on the distribution of transition metals, as well as the protective effects of grape seed and skin extract (GSSE). HFD induced obesity in both male and female rats, characterized by increased body weight as well as relative liver mass in both genders, and increased relative heart mass in the males only. HFD also provoked the accumulation of triglycerides and total cholesterol into the male hearts, and into the livers of both genders. HFD induced oxidative stress in the male hearts and also in the livers of both genders. Furthermore, HFD affected cardiac levels of copper in the males, and hepatic levels of copper and zinc in both genders, whereas HFD affected free iron in the male hearts and female livers, specifically. In conclusion, HFD treatment altered transition metal homeostasis more drastically in the male heart than in the female liver, and GSSE efficiently protected these organs against fat-induced disturbances, regardless of gender. Key words: gender, grape seed and skin, obesity, oxidative stress. L'obesite constitue un probleme en sante publique qui contribue a la morbidite et a la mortalite par le syndrome metabolique. On reconnait depuis longtemps qu'il existe une dependance au genre quant au risque de developper plusieurs problemes de sante causes par l'obesite. Nous avons etudie chez des rats rendus obeses par une diete riche en gras, la dependance au genre du stress oxydant induit par les gras dans le cceur et le foie, en mettant l'emphase sur la distribution des metaux de transition de meme que sur l'effet protecteur d'extrait de pepins et de peau de raisin. La diete riche en gras induisait l'obesite chez les males et les femelles, caracterisee par un accroissement du poids corporel et du poids relatif du foie chez les 2 genres, et du poids relatif du cceur chez les males seulement. La diete riche en gras provoquait aussi une accumulation de triglycerides et de cholesterol dans le cceur des males et dans le foie des 2 genres. La diete riche en gras induisait un stress oxydant dans le ccur des males et aussi dans le foie des 2 genres. En outre, la diete riche en gras affectait le cuivre cardiaque chez les males et le cuivre et le zinc hepatiques chez les 2 genres, alors que la diete riche en gras affectait le fer libre dans le cceur des males et le foie des femelles. En conclusion, la diete riche en gras modifiait l'homeostasie des metaux de transition de fa^on plus importante dans le cceur des males que dans le foie des femelles, alors que l'extrait de pepins et de peau de raisin protegeait efficacement ces organes des perturbations induites par les gras, peu importe le genre. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: genre, pepins et peau de raison, obesite, stress oxydant.

Accumulating evidence suggests that consumption of grapes and grape products can positively influence risk factors associated with cardiovascular health, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and age-related cognitive decline. These effects are often attributed to the antioxidant activity and function of flavonoid compounds found in grapes as well as other actions such as increasing nitric oxide production. The well-established health effects of grapes on cardiovascular disease risk, mainly on endothelial function, LDL oxidation, progression of atherosclerosis, and reduction in oxidative stress, have been clearly identified. Emerging research has also demonstrated that grapes have beneficial effects on other chronicdegenerative diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, age-related cognitive decline, and diabetes. Further beneficial effects of grapes on oral health, immune function, and antiviral activity have also been reported. This review examines the published evidence on the human health benefits associated with grapes and grape products, with animal and cell studies included for areas in which human research is either limited or unavailable. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00335.x

All nutrients play a role in maintaining the immune system and providing substrate for the response. [gamma][delta] T cells, on the other hand, seem to have a unique response to certain dietary bioactive components found in the plant family. Although the identification of those components is not well known yet, members of the proanthocyanidin family and the anthocyanin family of compounds are candidates. Because grapes and grape products contain both of these types of compounds, I hypothesized that grapes may help maintain or support the immune response, specifically the [gamma][delta] T cell. Data from intact animal studies show that immune function is supported by grape products. In humans, relatively little research has been conducted using the food as an intervention; however, a study currently in progress showed that Concord grape juice supported circulating [gamma][delta] T cells and maintained immune function, whereas participants receiving the placebo juice had changes associated with reduced immunity. After an overview of immunity, this paper will focus on reviewing the literature on grapes and other food products made from grapes and their potential for interaction with the [gamma][delta] T cell in whole-body systems.

With emerging trends in the incidence of cancer of various organ sites, additional approaches are needed to control human malignancies. Intervention or prevention of cancer by dietary constituents, a strategy defined as chemoprevention, holds great promise in our conquest to control cancer, because it can be implemented on a broader population base with less economic burden. Consistent with this, several epidemiological studies have shown that populations that consume diets rich in fruits and vegetables have an overall lower cancer incidence. Based on these encouraging observations, research efforts from across the globe have focused on identifying, characterizing, and providing scientific basis to the efficacy of various phytonutrients in an effort to develop effective strategy to control various human malignancies. Cancer induction, growth, and progression are multi-step events and numerous studies have demonstrated that various dietary agents interfere with these stages of cancer, thus blocking malignancy. Fruits and vegetables represent untapped reservoir of various nutritive and nonnutritive phytochemicals with potential cancer chemopreventive activity. Grapes and grape- based products are one such class of dietary products that have shown cancer chemopreventive potential and are also known to improve overall human health. This review focuses on recent advancements in cancer chemopreventive and anticancer efficacy of grape seed extract and other grape-based products. Overall, completed studies from various scientific groups conclude that both grapes and grape-based products are excellent sources of various anticancer agents and their regular consumption should thus be beneficial to the general population.

Oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss, affect the majority of the population and can affect a person's overall health. Raisins contain polyphenols, flavonoids, and high levels of iron that may benefit human health. However, their oral health benefits are less well understood. We hypothesized that raisins contain antimicrobial phytochemicals capable of suppressing oral pathogens associated with caries or periodontal diseases and thus benefit oral health. Through antimicrobial assay-guided fractionation and purification, compounds identified with growth inhibition against oral pathogens were oleanolic acid, oleanolic aldehyde, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, betulin, betulinic acid, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural, rutin, [beta]-sitosterol, and [beta]-sitosterol glucoside. Oleanolic acid suppressed in vitro adherence of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans biofilm. When the effect of raisins and raisin-containing bran cereal on in vivo plaque acidogenicity was examined in 7- to 11-y-old children, it was found that raisins did not reduce the plaque pH decline below pH 6 over the 30-min test period. Compared with commercial bran flakes or raisin bran cereal, a lower plaque pH drop was noted in children who consumed a raisin and bran flake mixture when no sugar was added (P < 0.05). Grape seed extract, high in proanthocyanidins, positively affected the in vitro demineralization and/or remineralization processes of artificial root caries lesions, suggesting its potential as a promising natural agent for noninvasive root caries therapy. Raisins represent a healthy alternative to the commonly consumed sugary snack foods.

As described in this Supplement and elsewhere, consumption of grapes or grape products has been associated with various health benefits. Resveratrol is a unique component of grapes. Following our report on potential cancer chemopreventive activity, thousands of studies have been performed to characterize the mode of action of this substance. Nonetheless, scores of additional chemicals are known to be constituents of grapes, several of which are capable of mediating biological responses. Accordingly, when considering grapes and health, a holistic view appears to be more meaningful, taking into account all chemical components, metabolism, biological potential, biodistribution, absorption, processing, etc. To fathom such a massive amount of information, we propose the creation of focused ontologies. Grapes seem reasonable as a test bed for exploring this approach, especially because a fair amount of results are available with whole-grape powder. In essence, by utilizing a next generation intelligent system, attempts can be made to leverage the existing complexity. This approach involves bringing together all available information, together with expert judgment, and processing this information through a computational 'engine' or engines to provide suggested solutions (or implicit functional relationships). Accomplishment of this task, employing grapes as a prototype, could lead to broader application by incorporating the myriad of features associated with other fruits and vegetables. The ability to correlate heretofore uncharacterized 'signatures' with biologic outcome could fundamentally transform copious amounts of disparate information into a coherent explanation of human disease prevention.

Type 2 diabetes affects ~7% of the population in the United States and is characterized by decreased disposal of glucose in peripheral tissues due to insulin resistance and overproduction of glucose by the liver, defects in pancreatic [beta]-cell function, and decreased [beta]-cell mass. Obesity, decreased physical exercise, and consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (GI) and load are major predisposing factors in the development of type 2 diabetes. The GI is used to evaluate the rise in blood glucose levels in response to food. The GI provides an indication of the quality of carbohydrate in a food. The glycemic load (GL) is used to provide information about the quantity of carbohydrates in a food and the insulin demand. Individuals with diabetes are advised to maintain a diet of low-GL foods, because low-GL diets improve diabetes symptoms. Grapes have a mean GI and GL in the low range. Little research has been performed with grapes and/or grape products to determine the glycemic response either alone or with a meal. Grapes and other fruits contain numerous polyphenols, including the stilbene r esveratrol, the flavanol quercetin, catechins, and anthocyanins that have shown potential for reducing hyperglycemia, improving [beta]-cell function, and protecting against [beta]-cell loss. Therefore, with a low mean GI and GL, grapes or grape products may provide health benefits to type 2 diabetics.

Epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of wine, grape products, and other foods containing polyphenols is associated with decreased risk for cardiovascular disease. The benefits of wine consumption appear to be greater than other alcoholic beverages. Experimental studies indicate that grape polyphenols could reduce atherosclerosis by a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of oxidation of LDL and other favorable effects on cellular redox state, improvement of endothelial function, lowering blood pressure, inhibition of platelet aggregation, reducing inflammation, and activating novel proteins that prevent cell senescence, e.g. Sirtuin 1. Translational studies in humans support these beneficial effects. More clinical studies are needed to confirm these effects and formulate dietary guidelines. The available data, however, strongly support the recommendation that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including grapes, can decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Flavors or ingredients derived from alcohol for foods and drinks are discussed. An intoxicating ice cream, beer flavor to be added to chili, 'powdered alcohol' for food flavoring, grape seed extract with health/nutritional benefits and other products are new on the market. Companies whose products are discussed include The Ice Cream Bar, Buter-Buds Food Ingredients, Senba San Francisco Food Processing, Polyphenolics, Canandaigua Brands, Robertet Flavors, NewlyWeds Foods, Bledex Co., Virginia Dare, Todhunter Intnl. Monarch Wine Div., Innova, David Michael & Co., Panther Brewing Co, Boston Beer Co., Schmaltz Brewing Co. and Anheuser-Busch.