Recent Trends in Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplement

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 6235

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 59, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: nutraceuticals; functional food; diet; supplementation; metabolic diseases; nutrients; heavy metal

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent years, interest in nutraceuticals and their provision of health benefits has grown significantly, becoming a valid alternative to modern medicine. Thanks to their phytochemical composition, nutraceuticals can be regarded as a tool of considerable importance for maintaining health, by acting against various disease conditions and thus promoting quality of life. Explosive growth, research developments, quality assurance. and regulation will play a vital role in improving products already on the market. The most common forms of functional foods and nutraceuticals are available as traditional folk medicines. The high consumption of nutraceuticals and supplements as food supplements could mislead consumers’ eating habits in order to unbalance the intake of macro- and micronutrients. However, it is important to note that the current legislation is unclear and not very stringent on nutraceuticals. In the global market, nutraceuticals and functional foods have become a multi-billion dollar industry, and estimates suggest that the nutraceuticals and functional foods industry has the potential to grow.

Dr. Roberto Ciampaglia
Dr. Maria Maisto
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nutraceuticals
  • functional food
  • diet
  • supplementation
  • metabolic diseases
  • nutrients

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1234 KiB  
Article
Effectiveness of a Cucumber Extract Supplement on Articular Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial
by Silvia Pérez-Piñero, Juan Carlos Muñoz-Carrillo, Desirée Victoria-Montesinos, Ana María García-Muñoz, Vicente Ávila-Gandía and Francisco Javier López-Román
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010485 - 30 Dec 2022
Viewed by 5017
Abstract
This 8-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study aimed to assess the effectiveness of supplementation with an extract of Cucumis sativus L. (20 mg/day) on pain and other variables in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) over 40 years. The change in pain intensity using a [...] Read more.
This 8-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study aimed to assess the effectiveness of supplementation with an extract of Cucumis sativus L. (20 mg/day) on pain and other variables in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) over 40 years. The change in pain intensity using a 1–10 cm visual analog scale (VAS) was the primary endpoint. Fifty-five patients (mean age 50.6 ± 8.6 years) were included (experimental group, n = 29; placebo, n = 26). VAS scores for pain decreased significantly in both study groups, but decreases were higher in the experimental group (between-group p = 0.013). Improvements in pain, stiffness, and physical function according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were also significantly higher in the experimental group. The Timed Up and Go test result also decreased significantly in the experimental group. An improvement in muscle function was associated with significant increases in isokinetic and isometric dynamometry variables, particularly for isometric 60°·s−1 and 180°·s−1 knee flexion exercises in the experimental group. Plasma levels of interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) also decreased significantly in the experimental group. Based on the beneficial effects of cucumber on symptomatology and inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in knee OA, cucumber extract supplementation may a useful natural approach to maintain healthy joints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends in Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplement)
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