1,721,054 research outputs found
Grassi, esercizio fisico e salute
No full textL’utilizzo metabolico dei grassi è strettamente legato sia all’attività fisica sia alla salute.
L’attività fisica è sostenuta dall’ossidazione dei grassi, a sua volta mediata dal rifornimento di carboidrati.
Le riserve di grassi sono quantitativamente importanti per le necessità metaboliche del muscolo scheletrico (e cardiaco) e l’utilizzo di acidi grassi è regolato da diverse molecole di origine endogena ed esogena.
Il benessere che deriva dall’attività fisica può essere espresso in molti modi e ha diverse componenti: una di queste è l’effetto sul metabolismo delle lipoproteine
Phosphopeptides of casein and calcium uptake
No full textCasein phosphopeptides (CPPs) originate from both in vitro and in vivo
casein hydrolysis and are characterized by a sequence of five amino acids highly
conserved, constituted by three phosphorylated serines and two glutamic acids and
known as “acidic motif”. A role for this highly polar acidic domain has been
attributed in stabilizing the colloidal calcium phosphate of casein micelles, and, in
the case of casein phosphopeptides, in the ability to bind and solubilize calcium
ions, thus preventing the formation of amorphous calcium phosphate. In milk, the
physico-chemical form of calcium plays an important role in casein micelle
stability, and contributes to high calcium availability. Also CPPs display the
ability to form aggregates with calcium ions, and these aggregates have been
demonstrated to represent the bioactive form of CPPs. Till their discovery, CPPs
were hypothezed to act as promoters of calcium absorption by the human gut.
Although experiments carried on in animals or in intestinal preparations were not
conclusive, a CPP induced calcium uptake by the human intestinal tumour lines,
HT-29 and Caco2, differentiated in vitro, was proved. This CPP bioactivity is
correlated to the cell differentiation degree and to the presence of the “acidic
motif”. The notion that the higher is the fraction of bioavailable calcium, the
higher is the amount of the mineral for the specialized tissues, as bone and teeth,
has attracted numerous researchers; indeed data available seem to confirm this
possibility. Taken together and besides some controversial results, above all in
humans, CPPs may be undoubtedly considered as potential nutraceutical and/or
functional food. The potentiality of casein phosphopeptides could be of practical
application for their presence in dairy products frequently consumed by the
Western population. Moreover, their solubility in water allows to use these
peptides as an easy to transfer ingredient in food
Mediterranean diet: functional foods and physical activity, benefits for human health
No full textThe Mediterranean diet is a well recognized life and food habits having relevantassociation with a reduced mortality caused by diseases such as cardiovascular disease,obesity, diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The importance of a healthybalanced diet lies on the fact that benefits come from the presence and the interaction ofalmost all the nutrients with which it is composed. It is a matter of fact that singlenutrients can behave differently from what it is observed when they are all mixedtogether with interactive possibility. Under this perspective, the Mediterranean diet isboth composed by a great number of single functional food and, as a whole, it is a resultof a balance between the single nutrient properties, as evidenced by its great capacity toprevent all the chronic degenerative disorders above mentioned. Among the functionalfood present in the Mediterranean diet are cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables, nuts,olive oil as the prevalent fats for dressing, red wine in moderate quantity and consumed atmeals, fish and poultry as the main source of protein and polyunsaturated/saturated fats,modest quantity of dairy products, spices. Since the Mediterranean diet is a dietarypattern common to more than one country in the Mediterranean basin, some differencescan be found between the food consumed by the populations. The health benefits comingfrom the food of the Mediterranean diet resides on the presence of bioactive compoundssuch as polyphenols, carotenoids, phytosterols, fibers, monounsaturated andpolyunsaturated fatty acids, displaying antioxidant activity, protection from cancer andhypertension, improvement of the immune response. Due to the presence of more thanone functional food groups in the same dietary pattern, sometimes in the same meal,diverse species of polyphenols as well as of phytosterols, fibers and fatty acids can becombined and activated. Next to the positive properties derived from the food, the physical activity also account for an important aspect of this life habits. In fact, sincelifestyle modification programs provide a method to change eating and activity habits,any diet intervention becomes more valid with a regular daily physical activity.The last element characterizing the Mediterranean diet is the perception of a meal asa moment to spend with other people and of food as a positive link. For all these complexand heterogeneous aspects, the Mediterranean diet has recently been named as"intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO"
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