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Background: Aromatic plants are quite popular for daily use worldwide. However, little is known about the appropriate preparation of beverages in “house conditions” in order to preserve their beneficial characteristics after processing. Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wigg contains a variety of compounds, with well-documented effects against oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the optimum preparation conditions of a Taraxacum beverage in the household setting, with respect to its antioxidant characteristics. Methods: Dried, commercial T. officinale was used to prepare beverages boiling for 1, 3 or 5 min. The beverages were extracted using organic solvents of increasing polarity, and the solid residues of each extraction were examined by in vitro analysis on: the evaluation of total phenolic content (Folin Ciocalteau), the evaluation of antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging), the evaluation of the ability of the tested extracts to compete with DMSO for OH radicals, the ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid and soybean lipoxygenase inhibition assay. Results: All preparations had an overall good antioxidant profile. Regarding the chosen solvents, mid polarity solvents were more likely to give better results in all tests conducted, which can be indicative of the compounds extracted in each fraction. Samples prepared under 3 min boiling presented significant interaction with DPPH and strong lipoxygenase and lipid peroxidation inhibition. Conclusion: As previously observed in the literature, food processing can greatly affect its biochemical characteristics. In the case of Taraxacum, boiling for 3 min resulted in the best overall profile of the beverage with respect to its antioxidant properties. However, due to a variety of components present in each plant, further investigation and stratification, along with in vivo experiments are needed.

Increased understanding of subjective well-being (SWB), as well as factors that influence it, are essential to enhance well-being at the individual and national level. We have applied a hedonic and eudaimonic 9-item composed tool (SWB score) to measure SWB across several Mediterranean (MED) and non-Mediterranean (non-MED) countries, and to explore the association between the SWB score and a range of sociodemographic, health and Mediterranean lifestyle factors. A specifically designed web-based questionnaire was distributed to adult participants (N = 2400) from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and Republic of North Macedonia. Results showed that the SWB score was significantly different across the examined countries with the MED participants displaying slightly higher average scores than the non-MED ones (6.3 ± 1.5 vs. 6.1 ± 1.6, p = 0.002). Several sociodemographic, health status and lifestyle factors displayed a significant but limited association with the 9-item SWB score, with a multiple regression model explaining around 17% of the variance. Nevertheless, our results support that a closer adherence to Mediterranean lifestyle habits—the Mediterranean Diet, spending time with friends, family, and in nature, being active, and getting adequate rest at night — has a positive influence on the 9-item SWB score. Further research is needed to advance the understanding of the measuring and differentiating of SWB across different populations and to establish all the factors that influence it., Portuguese part of this research was funded by Life Quality Research Centre—UIDP/04748/2020, a program financially supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnolo-gia/ Ministério da Educação e Ciência. The Bulgarian part of the study is supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science under the National Research Program “Healthy Foods for a Strong Bio-Economy and Quality of Life” approved by DCM # 577/17.08.2018.

The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been sponsored worldwide as a healthy and sustainable diet. Our aim was to update and compare MD adherence and food choices across several Southern European countries: Spain (SP), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Greece (GR), and Cyprus (CY) (MED, Mediterranean), and Bulgaria (BG) and the Republic of North Macedonia (NMK) (non-MED, non-Mediterranean). Participants (N = 3145, ≥18 y) completed a survey (MeDiWeB) with sociodemographic, anthropometric, and food questions (14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener, 14-MEDAS). The MED and non-MED populations showed moderate (7.08 ± 1.96) and weak (5.58 ± 1.82) MD adherence, respectively, with significant yet small differences across countries (SP &gt, PT &gt, GR &gt, IT &gt, CY &gt, BG &gt, NMK, p-value &lt, 0.001). The MED participants scored higher than the non-MED ones for most of the Mediterranean-typical foods, with the greatest differences found for olive oil (OO) and white meat preference. In most countries, ≥70% of the participants reported quantities of red meat, butter, sweet drinks, and desserts below the recommended cutoff points, whereas &lt, 50% achieved the targets for plant-based foods, OO, fish, and wine. Being a woman and increasing age were associated with superior adherence (p-value &lt, 0.001), but differences were rather small. Our results suggest that the campaigns carried out to support and reinforce the MD and to promote plant-based foods have limited success across Southern Europe, and that more hard-hitting strategies are needed.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder affecting a vast variety of the population. The onset of RA as well as the development of systematic immunization is affected by both genetic and environmental risk factors. This review aims to point out the role of natural products in the management of RA, focusing on the reports of basic research (in vitro and animal studies) emphasizing the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties considered in the field of RA. A systematic screening of the relevant literature was carried out on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus with the following criteria: publication date, 2015–2020; language, English; study design, in vitro or animal models; and the investigation of one or several natural products in the context of RA, including, when available, the molecular mechanisms implicated. A total of 211 papers were initially obtained and screened. In vitro and animal studies referring to 20 natural products and 15 pure compounds were ultimately included in this review. The outcomes of this work provide an overview of the methods employed in basic research over the past five years, with emphasis on the limitations presented, while demonstrating the potential benefits of utilizing natural products in the management of RA as supported by in vitro and animal studies.

The Mediterranean diet (MD) and other lifestyle characteristics have been associated with well-being, a broad multiparameter concept that includes individual&rsquo, s subjective assessment of their own well-being (SWB). Some studies have suggested that diet influences SWB, thus, this work aimed to add novel information on the association of MD and SWB in a sample of Portuguese adults. Data on sociodemographic, economic, lifestyle, diet, and SWB were collected through a self-filled online questionnaire. MD adherence was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) score ]. Results showed a moderate adherence to the MD in 490 Portuguese adults (mean MEDAS of 7.4 &plusmn, 2.1). A higher MD adherence was found to be significantly positively associated with women, employed individuals, a higher number of meals per day, and those with frequent contact with nature (p-value &lt, 0.0025, using Bonferroni adjustment). As a novelty, this study divided the participants into low SWB, medium SWB, and medium to high SWB profiles (3.9 &plusmn, 1.0, 6.2 &plusmn, 8.2 &plusmn, 1.3, respectively, p-value &lt, 0.05), which reported significantly increasing MEDAS scores (6.5 &plusmn, 2.1, 7.3 &plusmn, 7.8 &plusmn, 1.9, respectively, p-value &lt, 0.05).

The natural process of aging gradually causes changes in living organisms, leading to the deterioration of organs, tissues, and cells. In the case of osteoarthritis (OA), the degradation of cartilage is a result of both mechanical stress and biochemical factors. Natural products have already been evaluated for their potential role in the prevention and treatment of OA, providing a safe and effective adjunctive therapeutic approach. This review aimed to assess the therapeutic potential of natural products and their derivatives in osteoarthritis via a systematic search of literature after 2008, including in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and animal models, along with clinical trials and meta-analysis. Overall, 170 papers were obtained and screened. Here, we presented findings referring to the preventative and therapeutic potential of 17 natural products and 14 naturally occurring compounds, underlining, when available, the mechanisms implicated. The nature of OA calls to initially focus on the management of symptoms, and, in that context, several naturally occurring compounds have been utilized. Underlying a global need for more sustainable natural sources for treatment, the evidence supporting their chondroprotective potential is still building up. However, arriving at that kind of solution requires more clinical research, targeting the implications of long-term treatment, adverse effects, and epigenetic implications.

Plant-based diets rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols have been shown to positively modulate the risk of cardiometabolic (CM) diseases. The inter-individual variability in the response to these bioactives may affect the findings. This systematic review aimed to summarize findings from existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) on markers of CM health in humans. Literature searches were performed in PubMed and the Web of Science. RCTs on acute and chronic supplementation of HCA-rich foods/extracts on CM biomarkers were included. Forty-four RCTs (21 acute and 23 chronic) met inclusion criteria. Comparisons were made between RCTs, including assessments based on population health status. Of the 44 RCTs, only seven performed analyses on a factor exploring inter-individual response to HCA consumption. Results demonstrated that health status is a potentially important effect modifier as RCTs with higher baseline cholesterol, blood pressure and glycaemia demonstrated greater overall effectiveness, which was also found in studies where specific subgroup analyses were performed. Thus, the effect of HCAs on CM risk factors may be greater in individuals at higher CM risk, although future studies in these populations are needed, including those on other potential determinants of inter-individual variability. PROSPERO, registration number CRD42016050790., This article is based upon work from COST Action FA1403—POSITIVe “Interindividual variation in response to consumption of plant food bioactives and determinants involved” supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, http://www.cost.eu/).

Nowadays, it is evidence based that numerous daily habits such as smoking, poor diet, lack of physical exercise, air pollution, etc., might lead to various diseases. The development of pharmaceutical research has been significantly contributed to the improvement of living conditions; the prevention and the possible amelioration of human health appears to be depended heavily on the followed diet and the consumed products. Considering that beverages are listed on first preference of the public in daily consumable drinks, the risen question is whether the preparation of a beverage in house could be done in the best possible way in order to contribute to the improvement of public health. In the present study, we present the first attempt made to quantify the beneficial effects of fennel’s ( Foeniculum vulgare ) beverage prepared “in house conditions” as well as to define the best boiling time among 1, 3 and 5 min.