Efectos benéficos de la Moringa oleífera en la salud de las personas / Effects of Moringa oleifera on Human Health

Introducción: El programa nacional cubano de la agricultura urbana y suburbana prioriza la promoción, venta, divulgación del cultivo casero y a nivel comunitario de la Moringa oleífera, pues se le atribuyen múltiples beneficios para el bienestar general del ser humano. Objetivo: Describir los efectos benéficos de la Moringa oleífera en la salud de las personas. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda de la literatura relevante sobre el tema, en el mes de agosto de 2020. Se utilizaron como buscadores de información científica a SciELO, Pubmed, Google y Google Académico. La estrategia de búsqueda incluyó los siguientes términos como palabras clave: moringa oleífera, nutrición, efectos benéficos. Se evaluaron artículos de revisión, de investigación y páginas web que, en general, tenían menos de 10 años de publicados, en idioma español, portugués e inglés, y que hicieran referencia específicamente al tema de estudio a través del título. Esto permitió evaluar 68 artículos, de los cuales 36 fueron referenciados. Conclusiones: La Moringa oleífera, es una planta apreciada por sus propiedades nutricionales, nutracéuticas y funcionales. Ejerce un efecto benéfico en la salud de las personas, atribuibles fundamentalmente a sus propiedades antioxidantes, insulinosensibilizantes e inmunomoduladoras, con amplias consecuencias de protección sobre varios órganos y de equilibrio en el metabolismo de los carbohidratos, los lípidos y las proteínas. Asimismo, se plantea que, posee efectos anticancerígenos, antiinflamatorios y actividad antimicrobiana, antifúngica, antiviral y antihelmíntica, entre otras cualidades. De ahí, su empleo como suplemento nutricional y coadyuvante en la prevención y el tratamiento de múltiples enfermedades(AU)

Introduction: The Cuban national program for urban and suburban agriculture has among its priorities the promotion, sale and dissemination of the home and community cultivation of Moringa oleifera, since it is attributed multiple benefits for the general well-being of the human being. Objective: To describe in a general way, the beneficial effects of Moringa oleifera on people's health. Method: A search of the relevant literature on the subject was carried out in August 2020. Scielo, Pubmed, Google and Google Scholar were used as search engines for scientific information. The search strategy included the following terms as keywords: Moringa oleifera, nutrition, beneficial effects. Review articles, research articles and Web pages that, in general, had been published for less than 10 years, in Spanish, Portuguese and English, and that made specific reference to the subject of study through the title, were evaluated. This allowed evaluating 68 articles, of which 36 were referenced. Conclusions: Moringa oleifera is a plant appreciated for its nutritional, nutraceutical and functional properties. It exerts a beneficial effect on people's health, fundamentally attributable to its antioxidant, insulin-sensitizing and immunomodulatory properties, with broad protective consequences on various organs and balance in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Likewise, it is proposed that it has anticancer, anti-inflammatory effects and antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and anthelmintic activity, among other qualities. Hence, its use as a nutritional supplement and adjuvant in the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases(AU)

Evaluation of the functionality of bread loaves prepared with quinoa flakes through biological tests

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate quinoa flakes and bread prepared with the pseudocereal with regard to nutritional aspects by determining chemical composition, content of tocopherols and fatty acid composition as well as to possible beneficial effects in Wistar rats given commercial feed supplemented or not with quinoa flakes and cholesterol. The following parameters were determined: weight gain, food intake, liver weight, fat in liver and lipid profile in blood and liver. The results showed that processing affected the nutritional characteristics of bread because there was a significant increase in dietary fiber content but reduction in soluble fiber. Increased fiber did not influence food intake or weight gain. Regarding fat in liver of rats, the group that consumed bread without quinoa but with cholesterol showed higher lipid content. The addition of quinoa increased significantly the level of all types of tocopherols, especially in the group of animals that consumed 20% quinoa bread, improving the lipid profile both in blood and liver, largely due to a reduction in oxidized LDL.

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os flocos de quinoa e os pães elaborados com o pseudocereal, tanto em relação a aspectos nutricionais por meio da análise da composição centesimal, do teor de tocoferóis, composição em ácidos graxos, quanto aos possíveis efeitos benéficos, através de experimento com ratos Wistar, consumindo ração comercial, suplementados ou não com flocos de quinoa e colesterol. Foram determinados: ganho de peso, consumo de alimento, peso e gordura do fígado e perfil lipídico do sangue e do fígado. Pelos resultados, verificou-se que o processamento afetou as características nutricionais dos pães, pois houve aumento significativo no teor de fibras totais, porém redução nas fibras solúveis. O aumento de fibras não influenciou no consumo alimentar nem no ganho de peso. Em relação à gordura do fígado dos ratos, o grupo que consumiu pão sem quinoa com colesterol apresentou maior teor de lipídios. A adição de quinoa incrementou significativamente o teor de alguns tipos de tocoferóis, principalmente no grupo de animais que consumiu o pão com 20% de quinoa, melhorando o perfil lipídico, tanto do sangue quanto do fígado, principalmente devido à redução do LDLoxidado.

Probiotics: The Friendly Microbes.

We tend to think of bacteria as harmful ‘germs’, but, many bacteria actually help the body functions work properly. These bacteria are known as probiotics. The scientific evidence of beneficial effects of probiotics in health and disease is growing. This article highlights various such beneficial and potentially beneficial effects of probiotics.

α-Lactoalbúmina como ingrediente de fórmulas infantiles

La α-lactoalbúmina es la principal proteína del lactosuero en la leche materna, alcanzando una concentración de 2,44 g/L en la leche madura. Su principal función es la síntesis de lactosa a partir de glucosa y galactosa en la glándula mamaria, aunque posee además otros efectos beneficiosos sobre la salud del lactante debido a su elevada proporción de aminoácidos esenciales (triptófano y cisteína). Según diversos estudios parece influir positivamente en la absorción de hierro en el intestino del niño, y en experimentos in vitro, unida al ácido oleico (complejo HAMLET), es efectiva frente a tumores celulares como el papiloma humano. El complejo HAMLET también presenta un claro efecto antimicrobiano frente a Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, cepas enteropatógenas de Escherichia coli y Salmonella thypimurium, sin embargo no se ha demostrado que durante la digestión de la leche materna se forme dicho complejo en el tracto digestivo del lactante. El desarrollo de fórmulas infantiles destinadas a la alimentación del niño durante el primer año de vida ha mejorado considerablemente en las últimas décadas intentando no sólo adecuar la concentración de nutrientes a los requerimientos del lactante, sino también adicionando compuestos bioactivos de diferente naturaleza, como la α-lactoalbúmina, con el objetivo de alcanzar los efectos funcionales que se producen en los niños alimentados con leche materna.

α-Lactalbumin as an ingredient of infant formula. α-lactalbumin is the main whey protein in human milk rising 2,44 g/L in mature milk. It has a key function in the synthesis of lactose from glucose and galactose in the mammary gland although this compound has also other beneficial effects on the infant health due to the high proportion of essential aminoacids (tryptophan and cysteine). It seems also to increase iron absorption in the digestive track, and in in vitro experiments, linked to oleic acid (HAMLET complex), has shown anticarcinogenic effects against cellular tumor such as human papilloma. In addition, this complex has been reported to exhibit antimicrobial properties against Streptococcus pneumoniae,Haemophilus influenzae, enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella thypimurium. However, the in vivo synthesis of HAMLET complex during milk digestion has not been proved yet. Infant formula have been improved considerably during the last decades not only adapting nutrient concentrations to infants requirements but also by the addition of new bioactive ingredients such as α-lactalbumin, to have the same functional effect as in breast fed babies.

The Effect of Exercise with Deep Breathing on the Pulse, Blood Pressure and Peripheral Circulation / 日本東洋医学雑誌

The effects of Qi Gong health maintenance exercises were compared with a control group of walkers considered to have an equivalent amount of exercise, by measuring the changes in the pulse, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and peripheral circulation.<br>Although no significant differences were seen in either the pulse or blood pressure of the control group of walkers when the before and after exercise values were compared, in the Qi Gong group, a decrease in these values was seen over time, with significant decreases from the pre-exercise values indicated in all values 30 minutes after exercise. This is consistent with the findings in a previous report that there was a significant reduction in catecholamine in the Qi Gong group 30 minutes after performing Qi Gong exercises.<br>When the flow rate of the peripheral circulation was measured using Doppler ultrasound equipment, in comparison with the lack of notable change over time seen in the control group, a significant improvement in the peripheral circulation was suggested for the Qi Gong group when the pre- and post- exercise values were compared. It has also been suggested that Qi Gong health maintenance exercises lower stress hormones and act to improve the peripheral blood circulation; a discussion of which is also included in this paper.