Upasana Upasana

By Upasana

Nowadays, obesity is considered as one of the fastest escalating nutritional disorders that reached pandemic throughout the world. Obesity is a condition in which overaccumulation of energy in the form of fat happens in an individual’s subcutaneous and/or abdominal visceral tissue. It is described as an abnormal growth of adipose tissue due to the enlargement of fat cell size (hypertrophic obesity) or fat cell number (hyperplastic obesity) or a condition of both. Earlier, it was reported that the most common type of obesity that affects the general population is the polygenic form that results from a result of a positive energy balance between energy consumption and its expenditure – or a combination of both. The pandemic of obesity has enforced to analyze the link between the role of inflammation and complications of overweight and obesity. This led to crossroads of the field of nutrition, diet therapy, physiology, immunology, and epidemiology and makes the understanding that they are linked inexplicably. The remodeling of obesity as an inflammatory state has led a wide impression in our conceptualization of obesity-related diseases. In this chapter, we highlight the endocrine aspect of adipose tissue, the effect of dysregulated secretion of adipokines due to inflammation and dietary components that affect obesity related to inflammation.

Part of the book: Weight Management

By Latika Yadav and Upasana

Turmeric is a traditional spice extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, a ginger family member (Zingiberaceae). Turmeric, also known as the “Golden Spice of India,” has been utilized for pharmacological purposes in India for ages. It has been used as a household remedy for biliary disorders, anorexia, cough, diabetic sores, hepatic disorders, rheumatism, and sinusitis in traditional medicine. Turmeric and its compounds, namely curcumin and essential oils, have a wide range of biological effects in addition to their usage as a spice and pigment. Curcumin, Turmeric’s active ingredient, is being studied by scientists for its antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-metabolic syndrome activities, neuroprotective activity, antimicrobial effects, anti-arthritis effects, anti-asthma, anti-obesity, cardio and liver toxicity protection activity, anti-depression and anxiety activities, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anticoagulant, anti-fertility activity, anti-diabetic, anti-fibrotic, anti-venom, anti-ulcer, hypotensive and hypocholesterolemic activities. As a result, turmeric and its compounds have the potential to be used in modern medicine to cure a wide range of diseases. These metabolic roles and actions of curcumin are depicted in this chapter for the benefit of human health.

Part of the book: Ginger

By Upasana and Latika Yadav

Nowadays, interest in research about pseudocereals has increased worldwide. Pseudocereals can be defined as seeds or fruits of non-grass species that can be consumed similarly to cereals. The most extensively used pseudocereals include quinoa, chia, buckwheat, amaranth, and so on. All of them, have good nutritional and bioactive compounds such as essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, minerals, and vitamins. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also reported that there is a buddle of plants that are under-utilized that significantly contribute to improving nutrition and health as well as enhancing food basket and livelihoods of the individual; contributing to future food security and sustainability. Earlier studies also reported that pseudocereals protein-derived peptides have anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, and antioxidant properties. The presence of these interesting properties in pseudocereals enhances the interest to carry out extensive research regarding their health benefits and the way to incorporate them into the diet. In this chapter, we portray different types of pseudocereals with their nutritional benefits for living a healthy and active life.

Part of the book: Pseudocereals

By Upasana

Obesity is one of the nutritional public health concerns of today’s world. It is defined as the abnormal accumulation of fat as a result of positive energy balance in the body. As the trend of overweight and obesity is increasing at the fastest pace affecting both children and adults; so, a search of new therapeutic guidelines is required to ameliorate the status of weight gain. Various researches are carried on regarding the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) for amplifying energy expenditure (EE) through heat production. Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT), now-a-days gained more attention and is considered as another tool for stimulating calorie burning. This chapter portrays the recent knowledge of some food ingredients that can enhance activation of BAT and browning of WAT with their beneficial health consequences.

Part of the book: Weight Management