Beetroot as a functional food with huge health benefits: Antioxidant, antitumor, physical function, and chronic metabolomics activity

Abstract

Nowadays, a large number of consumers have a strong preference for the "functional foods" for the improvement of their eating diet and maintenance of their health (Jeffery, 2005;Shashirekha et al., 2015).Accordingly, fruits and vegetables are important parts of the healthy diet with the capacity of preventing several diseases (Jeffery, 2005;Shashirekha et al., 2015). In recent years, the beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) has become popular as a potential "functional food" within this context (Frank et al., 2005). In spite of the fact that the beetroot has long been used as a traditional cuisines in Europe, the understanding of the applied value is very limited. Today, with the development of preclinical trials, consumers have increased knowledge about the biological activity of beetroot. The beetroot is now widely cultivated to meet the increase in demand (Maity et al., 2016). In addition to being known as fresh vegetables, or as food additives in cattle products, beverages, candies, and dairy products (Georgiev et al., 2010;Vieira Teixeira da Silva et al., 2019), beetroot has also been found to possess the potential of treating and preventing multiple diseases. According to the database displays in the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, beetroot is not only rich in proteins (1.68 g), carbohydrates (9.96 g), fat (0.18 g), amino acids (1.216 g), fatty acids (0.119 g), phytosterols (0.025 g), minerals (0.483 g), and fibers (2 g) per 100 g of wet weight, but also contains

Antioxidant Capacity, Antitumor Activity and Metabolomic Profile of a Beetroot Peel Flour

“…The diversity of compounds identified in the BPFw and the different anticancer mechanisms reported for these compounds suggest that the death of breast cancer cells observed in our cell assays could be due to a synergism of these compounds, possibly acting via different pathways in a complementary way, amplifying the cytotoxic effect on the cell types studied. This synergism has previously been evidenced by the reported chemo-sensitization promoted by betacyanins in the anticancer activity of vitexin and doxorubicin in different cancer models [ 71 ]. Considering that vitexin was identified in the BPFw and that beetroot is a natural source of betacyanins, it is suggested that the synergistic effect of these molecules occurred in the BPFw.…”

Root Vegetables: Biology, Nutritional Value and Health Implications

“…Nutritionally, beetroot is a food source rich in proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, phytosterols, vitamins and minerals, fibers, as well as nitrates. It also contains many phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, betalains: betacyanins and betaxanthins [9].…”

Root Vegetables Having Medicinal Properties: Their Possible Use in Pharmaceutical and Food Industries

“…Betanin present in the root extract has been found to possess antioxidant activity that is 10 times higher than in tocopherol and three times higher than in catechin [2]. Chen et al [7] reported that betalains minimize oxidative and nitrative stress by scavenging DPPH, preventing DNA deterioration, and lowering LDL. Nitrate in beetroots lowers blood lipids, glucose, and hypertension in various chronic conditions, enhances athletic performance, and reduces muscle soreness.…”