Phytonutrients, what are they?

Overview

Phytonutrients Definition |Phytonutrients Foods

• Phytonutrients are chemicals plants produce to protect themselves from insects, fungi, bugs, and UV rays. 
  • These powerful compounds give the plants their color, flavors, aromas, and disease-fighting capabilities. 
  • ‘Phyto’ is a Greek word that means plants. Another name for phytonutrients is phytochemicals. 
  • Unlike vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients are not essential for keeping us alive. However, they play a super important role in optimizing our health. 
  • Eating a variety of plant-based foods is imperative to ensure a steady supply of phytonutrients. 
  • Highly diverse with more than 25,000 varieties currently identified. 
  • Two major classes of phytonutrients:
    • Carotenoids
    • Flavonoids
  • Carotenoids
    • Carotenoids are a class of phytonutrients that give fruits and vegetables yellow, orange, and bright red colors. 
    • There are more than 600 types of carotenoids, but the most common are carotenes and xanthophylls. 
    • Carotenes (Provitamin A)
      • Carotenes contain hydrocarbons and no oxygen and help produce the orange color.
      • Alpha-carotene and beta-carotene are some of the well-known carotenes, also collectively known as provitamin A.
      • Beta-carotene is the most widely studied provitamin, which readily converts into retinal and retinoic acid—the active form of vitamin A that can be used by the body. 
      • Health benefits of foods rich in beta-carotene, like reduction in cancer risk and heart disease risk.
      • Beta-carotene can also act as an antioxidant, thereby reducing the damage done by free radicals. 
      • The most common foods high in beta carotene are red-orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, papaya, mango, sweet potatoes, squash, and cantaloupe. 
        • Green vegetables like kale and spinach are also loaded with beta carotene. 
      • There are also some promising studies showing that alpha-carotene, lesser-known provitamin A carotenoids, may help increase longevity.
        • More studies indicate that high blood levels of alpha-carotene are inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and heart disease.
      • Xanthophylls
        • Beta-cryptoxanthin is also a provitamin but is called a xanthophyll as it contains the oxygen molecule.
        • It is also a source of vitamin A, but the conversion rate is very poor at roughly 24:1.
        • Yellow fruits and vegetables like yellow bell peppers and mangoes are very high in beta-cryptoxanthin.
        • Beta-cryptoxanthin is associated with lowered cancer risk, particularly preventing lung cancer.
        • Lutein and Zeaxanthin 
          • Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only carotenoids found in the eye.
          • The retina of the eye is composed of macular pigment (MP) which is located at the back of the eye. MP protects the eye from blue light (both natural and artificial) and helps improve overall vision. 
          • The main components of macular pigment are lutein and zeaxanthin. 
          • Many studies have been done on the role that lutein and zeaxanthin play in slowing down or preventing the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
          • AMD is a leading cause of blindness in older people.
          • Food sources rich in lutein and zeaxanthin are dark green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, peas, and lettuce. 
        • Lycopene
          • The last of the well-known xanthophylls is lycopene. It is a plant pigment that gives red and pink color to fruits and vegetables. 
          • Lycopene is an antioxidant and is part of the carotenoid family. Studies show it is beneficial for heart health. and may lower the risk of prostate cancer.
          • The biggest sources of lycopene are tomato products such as tomato puree, ketchup, and sun-dried tomatoes. This is because the processing of tomatoes in sauces and purees increases the bioavailability of lycopene. 
          • Other fruits that have a good concentration of lycopene are guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. 
        • Flavonoids
          • Flavonoids are a group of phytonutrients and are a subcategory of polyphenols.
          • There are more than 6000 types of flavonoids, which are subclassified into 12 categories.
          • Of the 12 subclasses, only six flavonoids are of dietary significance.
            • Flavan-3-ols: Catechins | Bananas, Apples, Blueberries, Peaches, Pears, Green Tea. 
            • Flavonols: Quercetin, Kaempferol, Myricetin, Fisetin | Onions, Kale, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Apples, Grapes, Berries, Tea, Wine
            • Flavones: Luteolin, Apigenin, Tangeretin | Celery, Parsley, Red Peppers, Chamomile, Mint, Ginkgo Biloba
            • Flavanones: Hesperetin, Naringenin, Eriodictyol | Oranges, Lemons, Grapes
            • Isoflavones: Genistein, Daidzein | Soybeans
            • Anthocyanidins: Cyanidin, Delphinidin, Malvidin, Pelargonidin, Peonidin | Cranberries, Black Currants, Red Grapes, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Bilberries, Blackberries 
          • Flavonoids are anti-inflammatory as they block the messaging molecules that promote inflammation. They can also act as antioxidants and protect us from free radical damage.
          • These groups of natural substances promote good cardiovascular and nervous system health.
            • Studies also suggest flavonoids can protect us from certain types of cancer.
          • Health Benefits of Flavonoids
            • Flavonoids and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
              • A 2014 systematic review concluded that dietary intake of all six sub-classes of flavonoids (as discussed above) significantly decreases the risk of CVD.
              • A meta-analysis of 8 studies with 5228 stroke cases among 280,174 participants concluded a 14% reduction in developing stroke with higher consumption (20 mg/d) of flavonol-rich foods.
              • Flavonoids can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
              • Flavonoids are abundantly available in fruits and vegetables.
                • Green tea, dark chocolate, and even red wine can be enjoyed in moderation to get a supplementary dose of flavonoids.
              • Try to eat a rainbow diet, different colors come from different phytochemicals that provide unique benefits for your health.

[ The following is the full transcript from this week's post. This is a health blog with a focus on weight loss. Please consider that all episodes are unscripted, direct to the camera, with focused talking points. ]

Hello and welcome to this week's podcast.

This week I want to talk to you about something called Phytonutrients and so phytonutrients are chemicals that plants produce that help protects themselves from insects, fungi bugs, and ultraviolet radiation.

And so, these are something that is the plants produce. But they are something that is very valuable to us as humans.

These compounds are what give the plant its color, flavor, aromas, and all sorts of disease-fighting capability.

Phyto is from Greek meaning plants, another name for Phytonutrients as phytochemicals.

Unlike vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients are not essential to keep us alive, but they do play a very important role in optimizing our health.

That is why I wanted to talk about these today.

Eating a variety of plant-based foods. Is really imperative to ensure a steady supply of phytonutrients.

The interesting thing, there have been identified over 25,000 varieties of phytonutrients, but they are really kind of broken down into a kind of two major classes.

And the two classes are that carotenoids and flavonoids.

Again, remember, these are plant-based chemicals that help protect the plant.

But hopefully, by the end of this, you will understand the value of consuming these also in helping us in our own health.

I want to begin by talking about carotenoids. This class of nutrients is kind of what gives fruits and vegetables, kind of that yellow color, or more of orange color, to a bright red color.

Now there are over 600 types of carotenoids, but really the most common are keratin, and xanthophyll is what it is called.

Carotenoids are Pro-Vitamin A. These are compounds that can contain hydrogen, but no oxygen, so that's what helps produce the orange color.

There are Alpha carotenes and beta carotenes. You have heard that terminology before, these are the most well-known carotenes. They're basically collectively known as pro-vitamin A, beta carotene is probably the most widely studied Pro vitamin, it's ready to readily converted into Retinol and retinoic acid. And this is really the active form of Vitamin A That can be used by the body.

You guys have probably all heard of those, and the impact it has on your eyes and things like that, but there are other benefits that I want to talk about today.

Well, one of the biggest benefits of foods that are rich in beta carotene is reduction in cancer, also, reduction in heart disease.

Again, these are very essential things that cause devastating effects on humans, and that's cancer and heart disease.

So, beta carotene so, they can act as an antioxidant, therefore, basically reducing the damage done by free radicals.

That is really important. Because we know that free radicals cause damage to the body. Foods that are high in beta carotene can really help, and that's one of the mechanisms that it does this.

The most common foods high in beta carotene would be red, orange fruits and vegetables, like Carat’s papaya, mango, sweet potatoes, and squash.

But there are also other vegetables that are loaded with beta carotene, and that's kale and spinach.

So, a diet consuming these things is going to give you a high concentration of beta carotene that has significant health benefits.

There's also a lesser-known alpha-carotene. That is been investigated, and they think it does help increase your longevity meaning you live longer.

But really, there are many studies that show that high levels of alpha character are also inversely associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer.

So that means that if you are consuming alpha-carotene, you are less likely to have cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The carotene is an extremely important product, that plants give us when we consume plants, so that's the one category of the carotenes, and the other categories, those Xanthophylls.

One is called beta-cryptoxanthin, it's also a provitamin, but basically, it's called Xanthophyll. And it contains oxygen molecules, so that's the difference between the carotenes and the xanthophylls is oxygen versus no oxygen.

It is also a source of Vitamin A, but it is really not converted very well in the body. It is roughly converted 24 to 1, but it is found basically in yellow fruits and vegetables like yellow bell peppers, mangos, these are very high in these xanthophylls.

Now, this is also associated with a lower risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer.

So again, the impact of these Phytonutrients in heart disease and cancer is essential.

Another is lutein, which is a carotenoid that is found in the eye.

Obviously, it helps the eye. It basically creates some accurate pigmentation at the back of the eye. This actually helps protect the eyes from the blue light and it helps overall vision. And this is one of the main components of macular pigment.

Well, the importance of that is how it plays in something called age-related macular degeneration, So these xanthophylls or phytonutrients are very important in vision.

But they are also very important in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration.

What that is, is basically as we get older, you have areas in the back of the eye that become destroyed. And that can lead to blindness. And in fact, age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in older people.

So, another good reason to eat these types of fruits and vegetables.

Where do you get it? Again, dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, peas, and lettuce are very important.

Another xanthophyll I want to talk about is lycopene.

This is also a well-known,  plant pigment that gives plants that red, pink color to fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is an antioxidant, again, very important. Studies have shown its benefit in heart health and actually may actually lower the risk of prostate cancer.

Lycopene is another essential thing and the phytonutrients that we need to be consuming, so, the biggest source of lycopene's is really tomato products such as tomato parade, ketchup, and sun-dried tomatoes.

That is because the process, of turning tomatoes sauce, basically makes them whole availability, of nutrients pretty much more prevalent, so, a good source of Lycopene.

But there are other fruits that have good concentrations, such as papaya, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.

Again, this is very important to help us to reduce health or heart risk and also prostate cancer.

The flavonoids are another group of phytonutrients. They're kind of subcategory of multiple types. There are over 6,000 types of flavonoids. They are broken down into 12 subcategories. I am not going to go into all the subcategories. It is really six flavonoid categories that are of dietary significance.

And those six, are found in berries. So, really any type of berry is a good source of these.

But also, bananas, apples, oranges, lemons, and actually, soybeans can be associated with that.

The flavonoids, again, help by producing an anti-inflammatory effect for us. That is really important. Because we know that inflammation is a central theme in a lot of illnesses in the human body, and if we can do things to reduce that inflammatory component, that is going to help us kind of save off illness, Flavonoids do a great job of that.

They are really good at, promoting, good cardiovascular health, and also nervous system health.

There are also some studies that suggest that they may be protecting against certain types of cancers. So, again, cardiovascular health is essential in all of these, but we're learning more and more about these and the other impact it has on different cancers, and the nervous system.

So, let us just talk about, quickly, the health benefits of flavonoids.

As I said, they are very helpful for fighting cardiovascular disease. In fact, there was a study done that really broke this down and show that, if you consume a diet, of these flavonoids, it really can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease of interest.

There was also another study related to strokes, and they actually found a 40% reduction in stroke, and people that consume the flavor, like rich foods. A stroke is something that can be devastating for the individual and the family. So, the 14% reduction is pretty significant.

Then, like I already talked about, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

So, the flavonoids, they have a great benefit in heart health, neuro health, and potentially cancers.

The great thing is the flavonoids are abundant in fruits and vegetables. Also, the lowest they are found in is green tea, dark chocolate, and even red wine.

It's, it's okay to enjoy these things, in moderation, to get your dose of flavonoids.

The phytonutrients, as I said at the beginning, are plant-based nutrients. It is not essential for our life. But they do offer tremendous value in protecting us and helping us live a healthy life in the context of specifically avoiding cardiovascular disease. Also, low stroke reduction, and then also cancer reduction risks.

So, you know, really, I would recommend you try to get multiple servings of, plants, whole food plants, not processed things but, a variety of plants.

In fact, I say you really should try to eat a rainbow in your diet, meaning that picking different colors of plants and vegetables that are going to provide you with different, phytonutrients that are going to produce the best health benefits to you.

There are lots of things to enjoy about a plant in your diet, but also, they have significant health benefits.

I hope that you will look into this further and understand the benefit of eating the rainbow if you will so keep going, keep worrying about your health. Stay focused on that.

Remember, you have got this.