King A, Young G
Agricultural Research Department of Virginia State University, Petersburg, USA.
J Am Diet Assoc. 1999 Feb;99(2):213-8. doi: 10.1016/S0002-8223(99)00051-6.
Phenolic phytochemicals are the largest category of phytochemicals and the most widely distributed in the plant kingdom. The 3 most important groups of dietary phenolics are flavonoids, phenolic acids, and polyphenols. Flavonoids are the largest group of plant phenols and the most studied. Phenolic acids form a diverse group that includes the widely distributed hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids. Phenolic polymers, commonly known as tannins, are compounds of high molecular weight that are divided into 2 classes: hydrolyzable and condensed tannins. Quantification of food phenolics is just beginning, and preliminary results indicate high variability, even within a given food. Phenolics are biologically active compounds that may possess some disease-preventive properties. Evidence for their ability to prevent cancer or heart disease is preliminary and conflicting. The health benefits of phytochemicals have been reported in the popular press, and the public will come to dietitians for answers to their questions about phytochemicals.
酚类植物化学物质是植物化学物质中最大的类别，也是植物界分布最广的。膳食酚类最重要的3个组分为黄酮类化合物、酚酸和多酚。黄酮类化合物是植物酚类中最大的一组，也是研究最多的。酚酸构成了一个多样的类别，包括分布广泛的羟基苯甲酸和羟基肉桂酸。酚类聚合物，通常称为单宁，是高分子量的化合物，分为2类：可水解单宁和缩合单宁。食品中酚类物质的定量分析刚刚起步，初步结果表明，即使在给定的一种食品中，其含量也存在很大差异。酚类是具有生物活性的化合物，可能具有一些预防疾病的特性。关于它们预防癌症或心脏病能力的证据是初步的且相互矛盾的。植物化学物质对健康的益处已在大众媒体上报道，公众会向营养师咨询有关植物化学物质问题的答案。
