Fruits for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading global health problems. Accumulating epidemiological studies have indicated that consuming fruits was inversely related to the risk of CVDs. Moreover, substantial experimental studies have supported the protective role of fruits against CVDs, and several fruits (grape, blueberry, pomegranate, apple, hawthorn, and avocado) have been widely studied and have shown potent cardiovascular protective action. Fruits can prevent CVDs or facilitate the restoration of morphology and functions of heart and vessels after injury. The involved mechanisms included protecting vascular endothelial function, regulating lipids metabolism, modulating blood pressure, inhibiting platelets function, alleviating ischemia/reperfusion injury, suppressing thrombosis, reducing oxidative stress, and attenuating inflammation. The present review summarizes recent discoveries about the effects of fruits on CVDs and discusses potential mechanisms of actions based on evidence from epidemiological, experimental, and clinical studies.

Health Benefits and Molecular Mechanisms of Resveratrol: A Narrative Review

“…The built-up Nrf2 translocates into the nucleus, binds to ARE, and initiates the transcription of many antioxidative genes such as SOD and CAT to reduce oxidative stress. 2 Resveratrol promotes the transcriptional functions of FoxOs in the nucleus to facilitate the transcription of many antioxidative genes like HO-1, contributing to the reduction of oxidative stress. 3 Resveratrol upregulated PTEN, a major antagonist of PI3K, blocking the Akt activation.…”

“…Many foodstuffs and their bioactive components are beneficial to certain diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer [1,2]. Resveratrol is a polyphenol, which naturally occurs in numerous foods, such as blueberries and peanuts, as well as grapes and their derived products like red wine [3].…”

Natural Products for the Prevention and Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection

“…Natural products have been consumed or used by humans as therapeutic agents for centuries, showing few side effects. Recently, studies have proven the effects of natural products (like fruits, vegetables, spices, and medicinal plants) on infectious diseases (Kim, Liu, Komabayashi, Jeong, & Selli, 2016a), cancers (Li et al, 2013a, and cardiovascular diseases Zhao et al, 2017;Zheng, et al, 2017). Many natural products and their novel derivatives have been developed into new or approved drugs to treat human diseases, and play a critical role in discovering and developing drugs (Newman & Cragg, 2016).…”

Proteomic Analysis of Heart and Kidney Tissues in Healthy and Metabolic Syndrome Rats after Hesperidin Supplementation

“…Diets rich in fruits and vegetables are known to protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), [ 1,2 ] which include heart failure, stroke, and chronic kidney diseases and are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. [ 3 ] Several studies have aimed to elucidate the beneficial role of bioactive compounds present in food, such as phenolic compounds, which have shown beneficial effects on different cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) [ 4 ] and on the prevention of CVDs, [ 5 ] to determine their mechanisms of action and identify biomarkers of disease or treatment response.…”