Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils, University of Jaen, Campus las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain.
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain.
Molecules. 2019 Mar 6;24(5):917. doi: 10.3390/molecules24050917.
Dietary guidelines universally advise adherence to plant-based diets. Plant-based foods confer considerable health benefits, partly attributable to their abundant micronutrient (e.g., polyphenol) content. Interest in polyphenols is largely focused on the contribution of their antioxidant activity to the prevention of various disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Polyphenols are classified into groups, such as stilbenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans and others. Lignans, which possess a steroid-like chemical structure and are defined as phytoestrogens, are of particular interest to researchers. Traditionally, health benefits attributed to lignans have included a lowered risk of heart disease, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis and breast cancer. However, the intake of naturally lignan-rich foods varies with the type of diet. Consequently, based on the latest humans' findings and gathered information on lignan-rich foods collected from Phenol Explorer database this review focuses on the potential health benefits attributable to the consumption of different diets containing naturally lignan-rich foods. Current evidence highlight the bioactive properties of lignans as human health-promoting molecules. Thus, dietary intake of lignan-rich foods could be a useful way to bolster the prevention of chronic illness, such as certain types of cancers and cardiovascular disease.
饮食指南普遍建议坚持植物性饮食。植物性食物对健康有很大益处，部分原因是它们含有丰富的微量营养素（如多酚）。人们对多酚的兴趣主要集中在其抗氧化活性对预防各种疾病（包括心血管疾病和癌症）的贡献上。多酚可分为几类，如芪类、类黄酮、酚酸、木脂素等。木脂素具有甾体样化学结构，被定义为植物雌激素，这是研究人员特别感兴趣的。传统上，归因于木脂素的健康益处包括降低心脏病、更年期症状、骨质疏松症和乳腺癌的风险。然而，富含天然木脂素的食物的摄入量因饮食类型而异。因此，基于最近的人类研究结果以及从 Phenol Explorer 数据库中收集的富含木脂素食物的信息，本综述重点关注了食用不同富含天然木脂素的食物可带来的潜在健康益处。目前的证据强调了木脂素作为促进人类健康的生物活性分子的特性。因此，摄入富含木脂素的食物可能是一种有用的方法，可以增强对慢性病的预防，如某些类型的癌症和心血管疾病。
