Phytonutrients

The New Revolution In Nutrition And Preventative Medicine

By Branch Cohen

Around a century ago the discovery and identification of vitamins caused a revolution, changing concepts of nutrition entirely and giving rise to an, until then, unknown phenomenon: preventative medicine. Now, at the beginning of a new century and millennium, we a re witnessing a new revolution in nutrition and preventative medicine, occurring thanks to the recent discovery and ongoing identification of phytonutrients.

In the past advances in the field of nutrition have been slow, largely because in earlier times the men of science did not associate people’s diet with the diseases they suffered. For example, English sailors had been including limes and other citrus fruit in their diet to avoid scurvy for around two hundred years before the active ingredient was identified as ascorbic acid, more commonly known as vitamin C.
Vitamins were initially discovered by eliminating a particular type of food from a subject’s diet and observing whether or not any specific disorders or diseases appeared, and then identifying the substances in that food and consequently linking the deficiency of them to the associated pathologies. We now know that a prolonged lack of certain vitamins causes states of deficiency, metabolic dysfunction, and the appearance of disease and in extreme cases even death. When vitamins were discovered a not insubstantial revolution that changed dietary habits on a significant scale and gave rise to a new medical concept: preventative medicine. The knowledge of vitamins made it possible to prevent a good number of pathologies simply by following a varied and balanced diet.
The impact that vitamins had once they were known about may well be replicated in the near future with the discovery and identification of numerous other substances in plants, and particularly edible plant products, which possess very significant biological properties. These are being called phytonutrients; phyto- because of their plant origin, and – nutrient because they are found in edible plant products like fruit, vegetables and legumes. Phytonutrients do not supply calories or replenish energy supplies but appear to be very effective in improving the metabolism, combating various diseases and, above all, protecting us from disease, and studies are backing up these claims.
It is not yet known whether phytonutrients may have direct effects on sports performance, which is not to say they don’t, and, in fact, it would not be surprising if scientists claim they can benefit physical capacity in the future when more is known about them. For the moment, it wouldn’t out of place to say that anything that benefits general well-being has a positive effect on physical performance.

Some Known Phytonutrients & Their Properties
Science is doing nothing more in this respect than confirming what has been popular wisdom for centuries, passed from generation to generation, particularly in the older, rural cultures. Which is to say that many traditional foods have properties that go beyond simple nutrition. As Hippocrates said over two thousand years ago, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food”.
Until now we have generally all accepted that there are numerous plants that have curative or preventative properties that can be obtained through infusions, cooking and other methods of application, but we haven’t thought of the foods we eat in that way. Even so, many foods have positive effects on our health.
This is a new area of research still in its initial stages, which will no doubt reveal interesting things in the future, but there already exists a great quantity of significant in formation on the subject. Let’s have a look, then, at some of the recently discovered phytonutrients and the properties attributed to them.

Ellagic acid is found in grapes, strawberries and cherries and studies say it helps prevent cells from becoming carcinogenic.
Phenolic acids, also known as phenols, are powerful antioxidants present in many foods including citrus, fruits, green tea, soya and garlic amongst others. They prevent the formation of carcinogenic cells like nitrosamines in the body.
Betacarotenoid is an umbrella term for many hundreds of substances of the carotenoid family, such as cryptoxanthin, alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene. All these contain betacarotene, the precursor to vitamin A in the human body, and as such maintain the eyes, respiratory system and urinary tract in optimum condition as well as having powerful antioxidant effects. Only green plants and some microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi or algae, can produce their own carotene, while humans and animals must obtain it from plants and store it in the body.
Bioflavonoids have been known about for some time and associated with the effects of certain vitamins, such as C. Some of the more well known include rutin, quercetin, hesperidin and catechin. Each of them has significant properties relating to protection from virus, free radicals and other disorders.
Capsaicin is a substance found in hot chillies that appears to benefit the reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
Cumarins are found in fruit and vegetables and appear to have positive effects in protecting against cardiovascular problems.
Sterols are present in a wide variety of foods, particularly cucumber, and also serve to keep cholesterol levels down.
Phytates are found in soya, cereal grains legumes and nuts and, among other things, help neutralise tumour causing estrogens.
Cruciform vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are very beneficial foods rich in vitamin C, soluble fibre and various nutrients with anti-cancerous effects, such as diindolylmethane, sulphurophane and selenium. According to recent studies at Berkeley University in California, 3-3’diindolylmethane has the capacity to prevent certain types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon and ovaries, as it is a powerful immune system regulator and antiviral and antibacterial agent.
Isoflavons are an extensive group of compounds found in legumes that also inhibit the damaging effects estrogens can have regarding breast cancer and other tumours. They also improve arterial perfusion, a direct measure of the flexibility of major arteries and an indicator of the risk of heart disease.
Genistein is an isoflavon abundant in soya and its derivatives, which has been seen to improve bone regeneration and reduce resorption and has recently been found to significantly improve endothelial function.
In addition, owing to their estrogenic-like structure, isoflavons exhibit a hypocholesterol effect, as they diminish LDL, or bad cholesterol. They also play an antioxidant role, preventing the oxidisation of LDL, thus protecting the heart by limiting the accumulation of atheroma. And studies on animals and humans have produced evidence that isoflavons help in cases of obesity and diabetes, wherein subjects who consumed isoflavon-rich soy protein has improved blood sugar regulation, lower insulin levels in serum and lower insulin resistance.
Licopene forms part of the carotenoid family and is present in tomatoes, citrus fruits, apricots and red peppers, and it antioxidant powers are far superior to those of betacarotene. The body stores it in the lungs, liver, testes, prostate and colon where it helps protect these organs directly. It also helps prevent the oxidisation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disorders.
Lignan is found in linseeds, which provide the best oil for human health. It is an important anti-free radical agent and studies have shown it reduces the activity of cancerous cells in tumours in the breasts, prostate and colon. It also appears to block the formation of hormonal tumours.
Limonen is another blocker of tumour activity that is found in the essential oils of citrus fruits.
Monoterpenes are another group of substances present in fruits and vegetables that have a powerful antioxidant effect against heart disease and cancer.
Polyacetylenes are elements in carrots, celery and parsnips that control certain prostaglandins that contribute to tumour growth.
Reservatrol has become very popular lately, as it is the substance in red wine to which beneficial properties are attributed, above all protection against heart disease.

The New Nutrition Revolution
These are not the only phytonutrients in existence, and as study continues more are being discovered and their numerous beneficial properties identified.
There is no doubt that the discovery and identification of vitamins meant a revolution in the field of nutrition at the time, and since then we have enjoyed improved life expectancy and quality. Now the future of medicine and sports performance is down to these new substances that are being extracted and isolated from foods.
Plants are the great pharmacy dispensing hundreds, or even thousands, of substances with beneficial effects for our bodies, and they are the phytonutrients, which are destined to be the grand protagonists of the new revolution in nutrition and preventative medicine.