The human system employs the use of endogenous enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic antioxidant defence systems against the onslaught of free radicals and oxidative stress. Enzymatic antioxidants and non-enzymatic antioxidants work synergistically with each other, using different mechanisms against different free radicals and stages of oxidative stress. Dietary and lifestyle modifications are seen as the mainstay of treatment and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. The major aims of dietary and lifestyle changes are to reduce weight, improve glycaemic control and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, which accounts for 70- 80% of deaths among those with diabetes. It is also important to note that medicinal plants have been used as medicines since ancient time, and continue to play significant role even in modern medicine in management and treatment of chronic diseases. Impressive numbers of modern therapeutic agents have been developed from plants. Phytochemicals have been isolated and characterised from fruits such as grapes and apples, vegetables such as broccoli and onion, spices such as turmeric, beverages such as green tea and red wine, as well as many other sources. The WHO estimates that approximately 80% of the worlds inhabitants rely on traditional medicine for their primary health care and many medicinal plants have ethno-medical claims of usefulness in the treatment of diabetes and other chronic diseases globally, and have been employed empirically in antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive, antinflammatory and antiparasitic remedies. This book examines the role of antioxidant-rich natural products in management and treatment of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

This volume sheds new light on the immense potential of medicinal plants for human health from different technological aspects. It presents new research on bioactive compounds in medicinal plants that provide health benefits, including those that have proven especially effective in treating and managing diabetes mellitus and hypertension. It looks at the medicinal properties, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity of plants and provides scientific evidence on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of certain diseases. Many of the plants described in the chapters are easily accessible and are believed to be effective with fewer side effects in comparison to modern drugs in the treatment of different diseases.

Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is a book series that brings updated reviews to readers interested in advances in the development of pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of two metabolic diseases – diabetes and obesity. The scope of the series covers a range of topics including the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology and biochemistry of natural and synthetic drugs affecting endocrine and metabolic processes linked with diabetes and obesity. Reviews in this series also include research on specific receptor targets and pre-clinical / clinical findings on novel pharmaceutical agents. Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research – Diabetes and Obesity is a valuable resource for pharmaceutical scientists and postgraduate students seeking updated and critically important information for developing clinical trials and devising research plans in the field of diabetes and obesity research. The sixth volume of this series features 6 reviews which are informative guides to therapy and drug administration in diabetes and metabolic syndrome, for both the medical specialist and the pharmacologist. - The failing heart in diabetes with special emphasis on prevention - Flavonoids as prominent anti-diabetic agents - Chemosensor in glucose monitoring, advances and challenges - Synergistic drugs and polyherbal formulations for obesity: current status and future prospectives - Urge for herbal anti-diabetic medicines towards clinical and therapeutic implications - Curcuma longa as dietary supplement and diabetes mellitus: evidence from experimental studies

Diabetes is a global pandemic where many remedies have been recommended as means of combating the prevalence of this disease. However, dietary control appears to be more effective than others. This book focuses on interventions concerning glycemic control, the oxidative stress-based occurrence of the disease and its prevention, as well as novel remedies. While many books have been published recently on this aspect, the book aims to serve as an update to the scientific community, as well as to those who have been adversely affected by the disease. There are many unexplored territories when it comes to diabetes, and it is hoped that this publication will open up new avenues of successfully curbing its occurrence.

Health and nutrition have become global focal points as the population continues to grow exponentially. While providing food for the global population is crucial, it is also necessary to provide options that are nutritious in order to promote healthier lifestyles around the world. Exploring the Nutrition and Health Benefits of Functional Foods provides a comprehensive overview of how dietary nutrition can impact people’s lives, prevent disease, and maintain an overall healthier lifestyle. Highlighting theoretical and practical attributes of different functional foods and how they are utilized globally, this book is an essential reference for researchers, academics, students, policy makers, government officials, and technology developers.

In the context of the continual increase in the global incidence of diabetes, this book focuses on particular aspects of the disease such as the socio-economic burden and the effects on individuals and their families. It addresses a wide range of topics regarding its physiological relevance, metabolic angles, biochemistry, and discusses current and upcoming treatment approaches. It is unique in offering a chapter dedicated to herbal remedies for diabetes. Appealing to a broad readership, it is a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners working in the area of glucose metabolism, diabetes and human health.

Health and nutrition has become a global focal point as the population continues to grow exponentially. While providing food for the global population is crucial, it is also necessary to provide options that are nutritious in order to promote healthier lifestyles around the world. Food Science and Nutrition: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is an innovative reference source for the latest academic material on how dietary nutrition can impact people’s lives, prevent disease, and maintain an overall healthier lifestyle. Highlighting a range of topics, such as health preservation, functional foods, and herbal remedies, this publication is ideally designed for researchers, academics, students, policy makers, government officials, and technology developers.

Diet, Microbiome and Health, Volume 11, in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, presents the most up-to-date research to help scientists, researchers and students in the field of food engineering understand the different microbial species we have in our guts, why they are important to human development, immunity and health, and how to use that understanding to further promote research to create healthy food products. In addition, the book provides studies that clearly demonstrate how dietary preferences and social behavior significantly impact the diversity of microbial species in the gut and their numeric values, which may balance health and disease. Highlights research discoveries on how gut microbiota influence and are impacted by health and disease Includes information on and examples of healthy foods Discusses gut microbiota in autism, GI disease, neuropsychiatric disorders, obesity and metabolic disease Explores the barrier function of the gut Examines how food preferences impact gut microbiota

Sourdough fermentation was probably one of the first microbial processes employed by mankind for the production and preservation of food. This practice is still widely used worldwide due to the distinct sensorial and health properties attributed to these products. Traditional sourdough bread is achieved by spontaneous fermentations, leading to natural selections of microorganisms (mainly yeast and lactic acid bacteria) with health benefits for the consumers’ microbiota. However, multiple opportunities are currently underexploited through the entire sourdough value chain. Sourdough Innovations: Novel Uses of Metabolites, Enzymes, and Microbiota from Sourdough Processing summarizes the latest scientific knowledge and current opportunities of sourdough technology at biomass, microbiota and enzymatic levels described in three distinctive sections. Section I covers the fermentation process of cereals and non-cereals to produce sourdough-containing compounds with health-enhancement benefits. Section II includes novel advances in sourdough enzymology, and last, Section III explores various applications of sourdough microbiota as antimicrobial and probiotic microorganisms and opportunities to be included in both food and non-food applications. Key Features: Includes extensive information on the use of innovative or emerging technologies aiming to promote circular exploitation systems. Promotes the full use of the cereal and non-cereal sourdough metabolites. Covers the functionality of sourdough microorganisms and functional compounds, and future exploitation of some of them in the field of nutraceuticals or functional foods. Sourdough Innovations is unique in its examination of health beneficial compounds through the downstream processing of sourdough from cereals, microbiota, and enzymes. It is a great source for academic staff and scientists within the broad area of food science who are researching, lecturing, or developing their professional careers in food microbiology, food chemistry, food processing, and food technology, including bio-process engineers interested in the development of novel technological improvements in sourdough processing.

Apart from diet and exercise, the strategic use of different classes of prescribed or non-prescribed xenobiotic compounds for the restoration of euglycemic levels in the body is well known. The ongoing rivalry between the recommended usage of allopathic medicines versus ayurvedic remedies has encouraged many researchers to focus their studies on thoroughly isolating and characterizing the extracts from different parts of plants and then evaluating their relative activities via in vitro, in vivo and in some cases clinical studies. Alternative Medicines for Diabetes Management: Advances in Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Chemistry provides a holistic view of all oral therapies for diabetes mellitus that are available to the public by removing the silos and stigmas that are associated with both allopathic and ayurvedic medicines. Additional Features Include: Highlights the potential role of dietary and medicinal plant materials in the prevention, treatment, and control of diabetes and its complications. Educates readers on the benefits and shortcomings of the various present and potential oral therapies for diabetes mellitus. Allows quick identification and retrieval of material by researchers learning the efficacy, associated dosage and toxicity of each of the classes of compounds. Presents the history, nomenclature, mechanisms of action and shortcomings for each of the various sub-classes of allopathic therapeutants for diabetes mellitus and then introduces ayurvedic medicines. Section C discusses various metallopharmaceuticals and provides a holistic view of all available and potential therapies for the disease.