Bioactive compounds in functional fruits and vegetables: A strategy for promoting wellness and preventing diseases

Abstract

Chronic diseases such as cardiocerebrovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, andhypertension are a serious threat to human health. A report by the WorldHealth Organization on January 19, 2015 stated that 38 million people died ofchronic diseases worldwide in 2012, of which more than 40% (nearly 16million people) died a premature death. Inadequate dietary fiber intake isanother major cause of chronic diseases. Taking the United States as anexample, the recommended daily intake of fiber is 38 g for adult men and 25 gfor adult women. Nevertheless, the actual average intake is only approximatelyhalf: 18.7 g for men and 15.6 g for women [1]. Inadequate dietary fiber intakecan directly lead to the disappearance of some intestinal microbes, which cansubsequently result in various chronic diseases. More seriously, intestinaldysbacteriosis and other health problems caused by a lack of dietary fiber arelikely to be “genetic”; that is, if dietary fiber intake is persistently insufficient,intestinal microbes may irreversibly disappear [2].