The effects of betalain-rich cacti (dragon fruit and cactus pear) on endothelial and vascular function: a systematic review of animal and human studies

Cheok, Alex; George, Trevor; Rodriguez-Mateos, Ana; Caton, Paul

doi:10.1039/d0fo00537a

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Blood glucose levels reflect the amount of glucose released into the blood stream following food consumption, which is an important parameter to measure, since high blood glucose levels can cause diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic diseases [68]. Red pitaya is a potential medicinal plant for attenuation of blood glucose due to the regeneration of pancreatic β-cells that synthesise and secrete insulin and amylin (two hormones that regulate blood glucose levels) [4].…”

Section: Glycaemic Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturation Process, Nutritional Profile, Bioactivities and Utilisation in Food Products of Red Pitaya Fruits: A Review

Huang

Brennan

Kasapis

et al. 2021

Foods

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Red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus, red pulp with pink peel), also known as dragon fruit, is a well-known species of pitaya fruit. Pitaya seeds and peels have been reported to exhibit higher concentrations of total polyphenols, beta-cyanins and amino acid than pulp, while anthocyanins (i.e., cyanidin 3-glucoside, delphinidin 3-glucoside and pelargonidin 3-glucoside) were only detected in the pulp extracts. Beta-cyanins, phenolics and flavonoids were found to increase gradually during fruit maturation and pigmentation appeared earlier in the pulp than peel. The phytochemicals were extracted and purified by various techniques and broadly used as natural, low-cost, and beneficial healthy compounds in foods, including bakery, wine, dairy, meat and confectionery products. These bioactive components also exhibit regulative influences on the human gut microbiota, glycaemic response, lipid accumulation, inflammation, growth of microbials and mutagenicity, but the mechanisms are yet to be understood. The objective of this study was to systematically summarise the effect of red pitaya’s maturation process on the nutritional profile and techno-functionality in a variety of food products. The findings of this review provide valuable suggestions for the red pitaya fruit processing industry, leading to novel formulations supported by molecular research.

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Section: Glycaemic Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturation Process, Nutritional Profile, Bioactivities and Utilisation in Food Products of Red Pitaya Fruits: A Review

Huang

Brennan

Kasapis

et al. 2021

Foods

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“…In recent years, there has been increased clinical need for, and strong research efforts focused on, natural approaches to MetS management [78,79] and even food supplementation with OFI [80][81][82][83]. Although our study was relatively small and limited in drawing any definitive inferences, especially in view of inter-/intra-individual variability, the preliminary data presented herein is highly suggestive of a potential beneficial protective activity of OFI extract on CVD based on its effects on both lipid and glucose metabolism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Pasta Supplemented with Opuntia ficus-indica Extract Improves Metabolic Parameters and Reduces Atherogenic Small Dense Low-Density Lipoproteins in Patients with Risk Factors for the Metabolic Syndrome: A Four-Week Intervention Study

Giglio

Carruba²,

Cicero

et al. 2020

Metabolites

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Food supplementation with Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) has been associated with a significant reduction in total cholesterol, body fat, hyperglycemia and blood pressure. Since OFI may also have antioxidant and anti-atherogenic properties, we hypothesized that its supplementation might reduce atherogenic lipoproteins, including small, dense low-density lipoproteins (sdLDL). Forty-nine patients (13 men and 36 women, mean age: 56 ± 5 years) with one or two criteria for the metabolic syndrome weekly consumed 500 g of pasta supplemented with 3% OFI extract (30% of insoluble polysaccharides with high antioxidant power) for 1 month. The full LDL subclass profile was assessed by gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint, Quantimetrix, Redondo Beach, CA, USA). After 1 month of pasta supplementation, waist circumference (p = 0.0297), plasma glucose (p < 0.0001), triglycerides (p = 0.0137), plasma creatinine (p = 0.0244), urea and aspartate transaminase (p < 0.0001 for each) significantly decreased. A percentage increase in larger, less atherogenic LDL-1 (p = 0.0002), with a concomitant reduction in smaller, denser LDL-2 (p < 0.0001) and LDL-3 (p = 0.0004), were found. LDL-4 and-5 decreased, although not significantly. This is the first intervention study suggesting that pasta enriched with an OFI extract may have beneficial effects on some metabolic parameters and the LDL particle sizes, reducing atherogenic sdLDL. Future studies will help to establish if these findings impact cardiovascular outcomes.

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“…Other health benefits include balancing of the production of blood by enhancing the levels of erythrocyte and haemoglobin, the formation of cardiac tissues, prevention of cancer in the colon and prostate and minimizing aortic stiffness (Kumar et al, 2018). These betalain rich fruits are also reported to enhance the functions of the endothelium and vascular system (Cheok et al, 2020).…”

Section: Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the studies conducted by Cheok et al (2020), one of the major bioactive compounds found in Dragon fruits are the betalains. Around 85 per cent of their total phenolics are composed of betalainic compounds (Esquivel et al, 2007).…”

Section: Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacognosy and medicinal value of some exotic fruits and vegetables consumed in India

Pant¹,

Lobo²,

Santhosh³

et al. 2020

TAJH

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Plants have always been a vital source of medicines and other essential products that have been a part of human life ever since time immemorial. Pharmacognosy and its associated aspects have been going through constant evolution and investigation with every generation revealing different and new pharmaceutical properties of plants and their products. The horticulture sector of India has witnessed a great demand of exotic fruits and vegetables in the last decade. These are either imported or artificially introduced in an exotic and non-indigenous habitat. A large number of these exotic plants which are consumed as fruits and vegetables possess a variety of bioactive phytochemical compounds. These bioactive compounds impart them some really important medicinal and pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, anticarcinogenic, antiulcerogenic, analgesics etc. This review article is an attempt to briefly address such exotic fruits and vegetables, the bioactive compounds associated with them and their medicinal properties useful to mankind.

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The effects of betalain-rich cacti (dragon fruit and cactus pear) on endothelial and vascular function: a systematic review of animal and human studies

Abstract: This systematic review assesses the evidence for the effects of edible cacti (dragon fruit and cactus pear) on vascular and endothelial function based on animal models and human studies.

Cited by 21 publications

References 48 publications

Maturation Process, Nutritional Profile, Bioactivities and Utilisation in Food Products of Red Pitaya Fruits: A Review

Maturation Process, Nutritional Profile, Bioactivities and Utilisation in Food Products of Red Pitaya Fruits: A Review

Pasta Supplemented with Opuntia ficus-indica Extract Improves Metabolic Parameters and Reduces Atherogenic Small Dense Low-Density Lipoproteins in Patients with Risk Factors for the Metabolic Syndrome: A Four-Week Intervention Study

Pharmacognosy and medicinal value of some exotic fruits and vegetables consumed in India

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