Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health : Fruits and Vegetables

While everyone knows fruits and vegetables are beneficial to good health, it's increasingly seen as important to know which ones can be effective in treating specific illnesses. For example, which are good for cardiac care? Which can help combat and treat asthma? What are the safety concerns to be aware of when using herbs in combination with traditional medicines?Diet and nutrition are vital keys to controlling or promoting morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases, and the multitude of biomolecules in dietary fruits and vegetables play a crucial role in health maintenance. They may, therefore, be more effective and certainly could have different actions beyond nutrients however this science is still evolving. This book brings together experts working on the different aspects of supplementation, foods, and plant extracts, in health promotion and disease prevention. Their expertise and experience provide the most current knowledge to promote future research. Dietary habits need to be altered, for most people and the conclusions and recommendations from the various chapters in this book will provide a basis for that change.The overall goal of this book is to provide the most current, concise, scientific appraisal of the efficacy of key foods and constituents medicines in dietary plants in preventing disease and improving the quality of life. While vegetables have traditionally been seen to be good sources of vitamins, the roles of other constituents have only recently become more widely recognized. This book reviews and often presents new hypotheses and conclusions on the effects of different bioactive components of the diet, derived particularly from vegetables, to prevent disease and improve the health of various populations.

• Identify bioactive fruit and vegetable options for prevention or treatment of illness
• Moves from general overview to disease specific applications providing a framework for further research and deeper understanding
• Includes discussion of issues and challenges, permitting critical analysis and evaluation

Ronald Ross Watson, PhD, is Professor of Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Watson began his research in public health at the Harvard School of Public Health as a Fellow in 1971 doing field work on vaccines in Saudi Arabia. He has done clinical studies in Colombia, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States which provides a broad international view of public health. He has served in the military reserve hospital for 17 years with extensive training in medical responses to disasters as the chief biochemistry officer of a general hospital, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He is a distinguished member of several national and international nutrition, immunology, and cancer societies. Dr. Watson’s career has involved studying many lifestyle aspects for their uses in health promotion. He has edited over 100 biomedical reference books and 450 papers and chapters. His teaching and research focuses on alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of abuse in heart function and disease in mouse models.

Victor R. Preedy, BSc, PhD, DSc, FRSB, FRSPH, FRCPath, FRSC, FRSM, is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry (Hon) at King’s College Hospital and Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at King’s College London. He also holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Suffolk and served as the long‑term Director of the Genomics Centre at King’s College London from 2006 to 2020. Professor Preedy graduated with an Honours Degree in Biology and Physiology with Pharmacology and later obtained his PhD from the University of London. He subsequently received Membership of the Royal College of Pathologists and later earned his second doctorate (DSc) in recognition of his contributions to protein metabolism. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal Society of Biology, the Royal College of Pathologists, the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene, the Royal Society for Public Health, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor Preedy has conducted research while affiliated with Imperial College London, the School of Pharmacy (now part of University College London), and the MRC Centre at Northwick Park Hospital. He has collaborated widely with international research groups in Finland, Japan, Australia, the USA, and Germany. His longstanding academic interests include health and well‑being. He has published more than 750 works, including peer‑reviewed research articles, abstracts, symposium presentations, reviews, and edited books.