The Beneficial Health Effects of Nuts in the Diet

Nuts are nutritional containing foods that nature has gifted with complex matrix of bioactives and beneficial nutrients including poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant phenolics, phytosterols, tocopherols, minerals, fibers, and high-quality proteins. Because of their unique nutritional composition, they are beneficial to human health. Many epidemiological studies reported the beneficial effect of nuts on coronary heart diseases as well as in diabetes for both males and females. Nut crops also have good effects on inflammation, vascular damage, oxidative stress, cancer, and hypertension. Interventional studies reported that nut consumption has lipid lowering effect. Nuts are thus among the most highly nutritious foods available. When left in their shells, many nuts have a long lifespan and can be easily kept for winter use. Much research has been conducted on nuts and their beneficial effects on health. This chapter discusses the current knowledge of nuts crops and their beneficial effects on health. Currently available literature suggests that consumption of nuts particularly as part of healthy diet is associated with beneficial outcomes such as better cognitive function, decreased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities, and cancer. Further, long-term and interventional studies are required to make a definitive conclusion on the health-promoting effects of nuts consumption through the diet

Significant influence for vitamin K on different metabolic diseases according to positive effect on levels of both vitamin D, and calcium

Vitamin K was discovered as nutrient of blood clotting. There are two main types of vitamin K, vitamin K1, and vitamin K2. Although the structure of vitamin k is stable but also, there are differences between them. Vitamin k1 is mainly present in dark green leafy plant; while vitamin k2 present in animal and fermented plant. There are different sources of vitamin k. The normal human body is required about 200µg/day from vitamin k in both forms. Vitamin k1 can easily converted into vitamin k2.There is big difference between work of types of vitamin k, where each one responsible for special job. Vitamin k play important role in various metabolic process; vitamin k especially k2 play important role in protect the body from heart attack , in addition to reduce the development of osteoporosis and bone disease in combination with vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin k responsible for increase the secretion of male sex hormone and infertility. Vitamin k is consider one of the most important vitamin, it can save human from death as result of precipitation of calcium on arteries. Due to the importance of vitamin k, this article will discuss vitamin k, its presence, and role in different diseases.&nbsp

Biological implications of atmospheric and pedospheric levels of heavy metals

Heavy metals and pollutants are gaining more and more attention nowadays. Heavy metals at high concentrations have an undesirable effect on soil, plants, animals, and humans. The high concentrations of these minerals reduce the activity of microbiological organisms, which affect the quality of the soil and is reflected in the inhibition of the physiological activity of plants. If plants absorb these minerals, they affect the food chain and thus reflect on plants and animals. Heavy metals have an effect on water bodies and marine organisms, as water pollution with these minerals leads to an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species that cause harm to fish and marine organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to use fertilizers that are free of those heavy metals in order to get rid of the harmful effects of heavy metals.</p

Minerals, essential oils, and biological properties of Melissa officinalis L.

This study describes the minerals elements, chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Algerian Melissa officinalis plant. The essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) using a Clevenger-type apparatus of dry leaves of M. officinalis and was analyzed by two techniques, gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eighteen minerals comprising both macro- and microelements (As, Br, K, La, Na, Sb, Sm, Ba, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Rb, Sc, Th, and Zn) were determined using neutron activation analysis technique for the first time from Algerian Melissa officinalis plant. Seventy-eight compounds were identified in the essential oil, representing 94.090% of the total oil and the yields were 0.470%. The major component was geranial (45.060%). Other predominant components were neral (31.720%) and citronellal (6.420%). The essential oil presented high antimicrobial activity against microorganisms, mainly five human pathogenic bacteria, one yeast, Candida albicans, and two phytopathogenic fungi. The results can be used as a source of information for the pharmaceutical industry and medical research

Chronic stress induced duration dependent alterations in immune system and their reversibility in rats

The objective was to find out whether severity of stress effects on immunity increases with duration of exposure and recovery depends on duration of exposure. Adult male rats (n = 30) were subjected to restraint (1 h) followed by forced swimming exercise (15 min) after a gap of 4 h daily for 2, 4 and 8 weeks and allowed to recover for 6 weeks after each exposure period. Exposure of rats to stress resulted in duration dependent significant decreases in leukocyte count, phagocytic indices of neutrophils, number of bone marrow stem cells and serum levels of IL-12 and increases in apoptotic index of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum levels of IL-10. The alterations in counts of neutrophils, total immunoglobulin content, phagocytic index, apoptotic index of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum levels of IL-10 returned to control levels in recovery group rats of 2 and 4 weeks exposure but not in that of 8 weeks exposure. However, alterations in number and apoptotic index of bone marrow stem cells returned to control levels in 2, 4 and 8 weeks stress recovery groups. The results for the first time reveal that increase in duration of exposure results in more severe damage in immune system and that shorter the exposure period, faster the recovery. In addition, in vitro study for the first time showed that corticosterone causes apoptosis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and bone marrow stem cells in dose dependent manner. Hence death of leukocytes and their stem cells is the major cause of stress induced immune dysfunction