A discovery that offers new therapeutic strategies for heart health.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world and the second in France, after cancer. Poor diet is a recognized risk factor for these diseases. Conversely, certain foods are protective for the heart and arteries. Specific parts of these foods would even be particularly interesting for maintaining good heart health, according to the study by researchers at the University of Florida published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
These scientists started from the observation that certain intestinal bacteria contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases by producing, during digestion, chemical compounds called “Trimethylamine N-Oxide” (TMAO) and “trimethylamines” (TMA). High levels of TMAO are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. They took the peel of a very popular fruit around the world and extracted substances from it to see if they could reduce the production of TMAO and TMA. They used two types of extracts: “polar” extracts (which mix in water) and “apolar” extracts (which do not mix in water). Their results showed that the polar fraction of the bark “effectively regulates markers linked to atherosclerosis” in mice And “has the potential to alleviate cardiovascular diseases without influencing the composition of the intestinal microbiota”. This benefit would be linked to the presence of a compound called “feruloylputrescine” in the polar extract of the bark. “This is a new finding that highlights the previously unrecognized health potential of feruloylputrescine in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease” commented Dr. Yu Wang of the University of Florida.
The peels used here were those of the orange. According to Dr. Wang, “These results suggest that orange peels, often discarded as waste in the citrus industry, can be reused to make valuable health-promoting ingredients, such as dietary supplements or food ingredients, providing new strategies Therapies for heart health.
