Metabolic constituents of grapevine and grape-derived products

The numerous uses of the grapevine fruit, especially for wine and beverages, have made it one of the most important plants worldwide. The phytochemistry of grapevine is rich in a wide range of compounds. Many of them are renowned for their numerous medicinal uses. The production of grapevine metabolites is highly conditioned by many factors like environment or pathogen attack. Some grapevine phytoalexins have gained a great deal of attention due to their antimicrobial activities, being also involved in the induction of resistance in grapevine against those pathogens. Meanwhile grapevine biotechnology is still evolving, thanks to the technological advance of modern science, and biotechnologists are making huge efforts to produce grapevine cultivars of desired characteristics. In this paper, important metabolites from grapevine and grape derived products like wine will be reviewed with their health promoting effects and their role against certain stress factors in grapevine physiology

Dietary treatment for obesity

In patients with obesity, low-fat diets seem to result in a weight loss of 3-4 kg at 3 years, but long-term data are limited. Calorie-controlled diets seem to outperform low-fat diets with reported weight losses of 6-7 kg at 4 years, but, again, data are very limited; an initial very-low-calorie diet approach does not lead to greater weight loss than low-fat diets in the long term. Use of meal replacements can lead to an 8 kg weight loss at 4 years, but this finding has been reported only in one, uncontrolled study. High-protein, low-carbohydrate (or very-low-carbohydrate) diets have also been evaluated and seem to be superior to high-carbohydrate diets at least for up to 2 years. Very-low-carbohydrate diets can lead to elevations in LDL cholesterol levels in some individuals. Cognitive behavioral therapy added to diet therapy can facilitate approximately 5 kg additional weight loss, and exercise can facilitate an additional 1-1.5 kg weight loss. Drug treatment, particularly with sibutramine and rimonabant, can increase weight loss with a mildly hypocaloric diet by an additional 3-5 kg, but weight-loss drugs are costly and have adverse effects. If dietary and medical therapies fail, gastric banding can lead to a weight loss of approximately 14% at 10 years, with greater losses of up to 25% with gastric bypass and gastroplasty. Bariatric surgery can also lead to a reduction in mortality and comorbidities but adverse effects can occur including nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal symptoms.Peter M. Clifto