Phytochemicals

Question 1

Phenols are found in plant foods of many colors, but are best know for their presence in foods of which color(s)?

Answer 1

Blue, blue-red, violet pigments (nearly all plants). Good food sources are: berries, cherries, red wine, apples, plums, and citrus fruits.

Question 2

What phytochemicals have been reported to inhibit specific inflammatory enzymes, modifying the prostaglandin synthesizing pathways and reducing platelet aggregability?

Answer 2

Phenols

Question 3

What phytochemicals inhibit inflammation, strengthen capillary integrity, and inhibit hormone binding in some tissues?

Answer 3

Polyphenols

Question 4

What are good food sources for polyphenols?

Answer 4

Garlic, green teas, soybeans, citrus fruits, onions, apples, licorice, root, flax seed, grapes and wines.

Question 5

What is found in strawberries, grapes and apples that stimulates carcinogen detoxification?

Answer 5

Ellagic acid

Question 6

What phytochemicals inhibit the growth of cancer cells and reduce their viability, and are associated with reduction in serum total cholesterol concentration?

Answer 6

Saponins

Question 7

What are good food sources for Saponins?

Answer 7

Saponins are found in legumes, vegetables, spinach, tomatoes and potatoes.

Question 8

What phytochemicals may reduce serum total cholesterol concentration and blood pressure?

Answer 8

Allycin

Question 9

What are good food sources for Allycin?

Answer 9

Garlic and Onions

Question 10

What phytochemicals have antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties that confer some protection against immune and cardiovascular diseases, activate liver detoxification enzymes (accelerating the detoxification of carcinogens), inhibit cholesterol synthesis, reduce blood pressure, improve immune response and increase resistance to infectious organisms and parasites?

Answer 10

Allylic Sulfides

Question 11

What are good food sources for Allylic Sulfides?

Answer 11

Garlic, onions, leeks, challots and chives.

Question 12

What are Beta-Glucans?

Answer 12

(also called mycopolysaccharides or beta-D-glucans) are linear polymers of Dglucose and other monosaccharides derived from various species of mushrooms.
Beta-D-glucans obtained from oats act as soluble dietary fiber.

Question 13

What is found in red clover?

Answer 13

Biochanin A is a water insoluble isoflavone (the 4’methyl ether of genistein) found in red clover that exhibits weak estrogenic, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and hypolipidemic properties and may inhibit bone resorption.

Question 14

What phytochemicals are tissue-specific in their actions, which include enhancement of the immune response, protection against ultraviolet radiation, and sparing of glutathione peroxidase and other Phase II detoxification enzymes.

Answer 14

carotenoids

Question 15

What are good food sources for carotenoids?

Answer 15

Carotenoids are found in plants that produce bright red, orange and yellow pigments, including soybeans, cereal grains, licorice root, citrus fruit and other cruciferous, umbelliferous, solanaceous and cucurbitaceous vegetables.

Question 16

What do Carrageenans do?

Answer 16

Derived from red seaweeds that resist digestion by human enzymes. Carrageenans may be hypocholesterolemic.

Question 17

What phytochemical have compounds that have antioxidant activities, increase basal energy expenditure and the rate of beta-oxidation of fatty acids, and may be antimicrobial, antiviral and chemopreventive.

Answer 17

Catechins (flavan-3-ol flavonoids)

Question 18

What are good food sources for Catechins (flavan-3-ol flavonoids)?

Answer 18

Found in many plants and are found in the greatest

amounts in grape seeds and green tea leaves.

Question 19

What phytochemicals exhibit antioxidant, anticoagulant and chologenic activities and may be anticarcinogenic, antiviral and hypolipidemic.

Answer 19

Curcuminoids. Only about half of ingested curcuminoids are absorbed.

Question 20

What are good food sources for Flavonoids?

Answer 20

Found in citrus fruits, soybeans, legume vegetables, onions, wine, green teas, licorice root, flax seed and other cruciferous, umbelliferous, solanaceous and cucurbitaceous vegetables.

Question 21

What phytochemical inhibit estrogen synthesis?

Answer 21

Many of the over 1500 identified flavonoids inhibit estrogen synthesis.

Question 22

How are Flavonoids helpful for the body?

Answer 22

They are potent antioxidants and have been reported to inhibit cell adhesion, growth factor activity and cell
proliferation involved in the development of atherosclerosis and cancer.
They also strengthen capillary integrity, retard the development of cataracts and enhance the effects of vitamin C, with actions protective against allergies, inflammation, free radical generation, platelet
aggregation, hepatotoxicity of xenobiotics, peptic ulceration, infection with bacteria and viruses
and tumorigenesis.

Question 23

How are Glucomannans helpful for the body?

Answer 23

As a source of soluble dietary fiber, glucomannan exhibits laxative activity and may contribute to glucose homeostasis and weight management by interfering with the absorption of dietary nonfiber carbohydrate.

Question 24

What are good food sources for Isoflavones?

Answer 24

Isoflavones are found in soybeans (genistein), chickpeas, beans and legume vegetables.

Question 25

How are Isoflavones helpful for the body?

Answer 25

They act as phytoestrogens (biochanin A, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, glycitein), competing with
human estrogens for receptor binding with high affinity but producing ligand/receptor complexes with low biological activity. As a result, they give some
degree of protection against the development of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

Question 26

How are Lignans helpful for the body?

Answer 26

They act as phytoestrogens (biochanin A, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, glycitein), competing with
human estrogens for receptor binding with high affinity but producing ligand/receptor complexes with low biological activity. As a result, they give some
degree of protection against the development of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

Question 27

What are good food sources for Lignans?

Answer 27

Lignans are found in flax seed, soybeans, wheat bran and oatmeal.

Question 28

What are antioxidant compounds that act to reduce (recycle) 100 oxidized antioxidants.

Answer 28

Lipoic Acid and Ubiquinone

Question 29

What are good food sources for Lycopenes?

Answer 29

Lycopenes are acyclic isomers of beta-carotene found in tomatoes and red grapefruit.

Question 30

How are Lycopenes helpful for the body?

Answer 30

They have antioxidant effects and may contribute to prevention of prostate cancer.

Question 31

What are good food sources for Proanthocyanidins?

Answer 31

Proanthocyanidins (procyanidins; flavan-3-ol flavonoids) are found in grape seeds, cocoa, chocolate, apples, peanuts, almonds, cranberries, blueberries and the barks of pine trees.

Question 32

How are Proanthocyanidins helpful for the body?

Answer 32

They are water soluble free radical scavengers that also reinforce collagen crosslinking and exhibit antioxidant activities.

Question 33

What are Thiols?

Answer 33

Thiols are sulfur-containing antioxidants found in garlic and cruciferous vegetables.