Nutrients with anti-inflammatory effects mainly include phenols, terpenes, sulfur-containing compounds and quinones, as well as amino acid derivatives, sugar polymers and their derivatives. Almost all phenolic family members are good at anti-inflammatory, so we first introduce the phenolic family.
Phenols include: proanthocyanidins, anthocyanidins, chlorogenic acid, curcumin, quercetin, catechins, resveratrol, and soy isoflavones. Except for soy isoflavones, the main effect is not anti-inflammatory, other phenolic substances are good at anti-inflammatory.
Quercetin is the most widely distributed flavonoid compound in the plant kingdom, and about 68% of plants contain this ingredient. In vegetables, fruits, tea and Chinese herbal medicine, it mostly exists in the form of glycosides.
Recent studies have found that quercetin has biological functions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antidepressant and tumor inhibition, and has important clinical significance for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia and other related diseases.
Quercetin is a strong antioxidant, and has a good scavenging effect on superoxide anions, free radical cavities, free radicals and singlet oxygen.
Quercetin can regulate enzyme-mediated and non-enzyme-dependent antioxidant defense systems, and can also enhance antioxidant defense capabilities and maintain the body's redox balance by regulating signal pathways such as activated protein kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase induced by reactive oxygen species.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that quercetin can relieve inflammatory responses by reducing the levels of serum C-reactive protein in patients with metabolic syndrome.
Quercetin has a certain protective effect on the inflammatory response of bronchial epithelial cells caused by PM2.5 In addition, quercetin can also inhibit inflammatory response-related enzymes, such as cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, and reduce the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory effects.
The results of matter analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that quercetin has a preventive effect on cardiovascular disease and can lower blood pressure. Supplementing quercetin for 4 to 10 weeks can significantly reduce the blood pressure of people with stage I hypertension. Its mechanism of action is related to quercetin's antioxidant, anti-platelet aggregation, dilation of coronary artery vessels and improvement of endothelial cell function.
Based on the meta-analysis results of epidemiological studies: Increasing dietary quercetin intake can reduce the risk of rectal cancer and smoking-related cancers, especially quercetin-rich diets, which can effectively reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Its mechanism of action is related to quercetin inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells and inducing apoptosis of colon cancer cells, reducing the number of abnormal glandular crypts in the colon, and inhibiting precancerous lesions of colon cancer.
In addition, quercetin can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by inhibiting signal transduction and transcription genes and activating factor signaling pathways.
The content of quercetin in vegetables and fruits is affected by factors such as variety, season, region, and light. In addition, it is affected by different dietary patterns, eating habits, and food supply. The quercetin intake of people in different countries varies greatly. Even in the same country, people living in different regions have certain differences in intake.
Quercetin is widely present in the stems, leaves, and fruits of many plants. It exists mostly in the form of glycosides. After acid hydrolysis, quercetin can be obtained.
The content of quercetin in plant foods is related to factors such as plant type, cultivation method, season of origin, climate maturity, food handling and processing methods.
The types of food with high quercetin content in vegetables and fruits include:
Big hawthorn, kumquat, chicken heart yellow peel fruit, small red pepper, small cabbage, citrus, purple heart radish, white sugar yellow peel fruit, guava, oil bean, Yongcai, lettuce, jackfruit, jujube, sweet potato, leek, purple cabbage, red marshal apple, plum, lentil, etc.
If you want to get enough quercetin, the above vegetables and fruits can be arranged regularly. If the body already has more serious inflammation, metabolic problems, etc., you can appropriately supplement some quercetin extracts.
This article was independently created and published by Herbfields.net.