Coloured Compounds in Fruits and Vegetables and Health

• Leonor Deis ^[1] ; Andrea Mariela Quiroga ^[2] ; María Inés De Rosas ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Nacional de Cuyo
  2. [2] Universidad Nacional de San Luis
• Localización: Psychiatry and Neuroscience Update: From Epistemology to Clinical Psychiatry – Vol. IV / Pascual Angel Gargiulo (ed. lit.), Humberto Luis Mesones Arroyo (ed. lit.), 2021, ISBN 978-3-030-61721-9, págs. 343-358
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Several studies show that increasing the intake of plant foods such as blueberries decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality. For this reason, the consumption of fruit and vegetables has increased in healthy diets. Essentiality, a healthy diet constitutes eating almost five portions of fruits and vegetables per day.Red and purple fruit contain iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and vitamin K. Adequate intake of these minerals and vitamins contributes to building and maintaining bone structure and strength. Coloured compounds are secondary metabolites of plants and are generally involved in protection against ultraviolet radiation or pathogens. In the last decade, there has been much interest in the potential health benefits of dietary plant polyphenols as antioxidant. Epidemiological studies and associated meta-analyses strongly suggest that long-term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer protection against development of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, endothelial dysfunction, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, polyphenols may have effect as antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, antimutagenic and antitumoral. Of the polyphenols most widely distributed among plant diets are anthocyanins pigments. These coloured compounds are present in grape skins and wine. Likewise they can be found in many other vegetables and fruits such as cranberries, cherries, blackberries, currants, strawberries, red grapes, plums, watermelon, red apple, purple corn, red cabbage, eggplant, purple and black vegetables, beets, red or purple beans.