Journal of Food Bioactives

Beyond nutrition: lipids-based therapeutics from food and bioactive lipids

Jaroslav A. Kralovec — 2026-06-30

Lipid based therapeutics represent a clinically influential segment of the global pharmaceutical market and illustrate how the Food as Medicine concept can be translated into rigorously validated drugs. Lovaza/Omacor is a defining example: originally derived from a supplement grade omega-3 mixture, it progressed through large cardiovascular outcome trials such as GISSI Prevenzione and ultimately achieved full medicinal status, becoming the most commercially successful omega-3 drug worldwide. This trajectory is not unique. Retinoids and prostaglandin analogues show that lipid derived or nutrient related molecules can evolve into major therapeutic classes once they are purified, standardized, and clinically tested. Across fatty acids, prostaglandins, and retinoids, successful agents share clear mechanisms of action, controllable pharmacokinetics, and robust outcome level evidence—exemplified by icosapent ethyl and bempedoic acid in cardiovascular prevention, prostacyclins in pulmonary arterial hypertension, and retinoids in dermatology. By contrast, many investigational lipid compounds fail due to mechanistic ambiguity, safety liabilities, chemical instability, or poor regulatory fit. Cross-class analysis shows that lipid drugs succeed when their inherent biological promiscuity is constrained through formulation, structural refinement, and targeted delivery. Looking ahead, progress is expected from intravenous omega-3 emulsions, stable specialized pro resolving mediator analogues, next generation retinoids, and precision lipid modulators designed to harness endogenous signalling with greater specificity.

Japanese-style diet and life expectancy

Klaus W. Lange — 2026-06-30

Japanese-style diets have been linked to Japan’s long life expectancy. However, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases has increased as Japanese diets have become more influenced by Western food culture. Since it is impossible to administer a lifelong diet to humans, rodent studies have addressed the question of which diet is linked to longevity. National surveys were used to compile menus representative of the Japanese diet at various points over several decades. These studies found that the typical Japanese diet in the late 1990s was healthier than the American diet at that time. Furthermore, mice fed a Japanese diet from 1975 showed the slowest aging and longest life expectancy compared to those fed diets from more recent years. Characteristic components of the 1975 Japanese diet included fish, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, soybean foods, dashi soup stock, and fermented seasonings. Although human studies suggest that the 1975 Japanese diet is healthier than the typical Japanese diet today, more research is needed to confirm these results when considering other lifestyle factors.

Harnessing mushroom β-glucans towards enhancing probiotics viability and their bioactivities

Clement Olusola Ogidi — 2026-06-30

Mushrooms are widely recognized and consumed for their nutraceutical and medicinal values due to the presence of biologically active compounds particularly beta-glucans, phenolic, flavonoid, proteins and minerals. Betaglucans are complex polysaccharides composed of glucose units linked mainly by β-(1→3) and β-(1→6) glycosidic bonds. Beta-glucans remain major structural components of mushroom cell wall and have gained attention for their prebiotic, immunomodulatory, and gut-health-promoting properties. One important functional role of mushroom β-glucans is their ability to support the viability and activity of probiotic microorganisms especially species of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Bifidobacterium. The paper therefore, review the beneficial roles played by mushroom β -glucans on the viability and biofunctional activities of lactic acid bacteria.

γ-Oryzanol, a unique ingredient specific to brown rice, effectively restores mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in obese aged mice by ameliorating microglial inflammation and promoting neurogenesis in hippocampus: Novel therapeutic insight into obesity-ass

Shiki Okamoto — 2026-06-30

Obesity-diabetes syndrome poses a considerable risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Our study was designed to explore therapeutic potential of γ-oryzanol (Orz), a brown rice-specific oil composed of ferulic acid ester with several phytosterols, on MCI in high-fat diet (HFD) induced obese aged mice. After being housed on an HFD for 4 months, regular Orz or the nanoparticulated form of Orz (Nano-Orz), which markedly enhances its intestinal absorption, was administered to aged mice. Mice treated with regular Orz for 4 months exhibited significant improvement in spatial cognitive function. Impressively, mice treated with Nano-Orz demonstrated cognitive improvement as early as 1 month, with substantial recovery by 3 months. In the hippocampus, treatment with both regular Orz and Nano-Orz upregulated genes associated with neurogenesis and stem cell function accompanied by a significant increase in gene expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our data highlight a therapeutic potential of Orz for obesity-associated MCI.

Dietary flavonoid tectochrysin ameliorates dextran sodium sulfate-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction relevant to MAPK-NF-κB-MLCK signaling pathway

Yuxin Wang — 2026-06-30

Intestinal barrier exerts a fundamental role in homeostasis and loss of barrier integrity is often implicated in diseases. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of tectochrysin (TEC), a flavonoid broadly existing in dietary plants, on the intestinal barrier dysfunction in DSS-induced colitis mice. TEC treatment significantly improved DSS-induced clinical performances and intestinal pathological alterations including high scores of disease activity index (DAI), shortened colon length, apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells and loss of tight junction (TJ) molecules. As for the mechanism, TEC suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ), alleviated macrophage infiltration, and shifted macrophage polarization from the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Furthermore, TEC targeted DSS-induced MAPK-NF-κB-MLCK signal cascade in inflamed intestine. Consequently, our findings suggested that administration of dietary flavonoid TEC effectively ameliorated DSS-induced intestinal barrier damage and offered a potential therapeutic strategy for intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Characterization of ingredients present in thermogenic and weight loss supplements.

Madeline R. Moser — 2026-06-30

Dietary supplements with label or packaging references to thermogenesis, fat burn, weight loss, or similar terms contain poorly documented ingredient identities. The 98 US products contained 337 ingredients that were divided into six categories using manufacturer product labeling and indicated quantities. There were 135 different raw plant or plant extract ingredients, with 22 present in three or more products, and green tea (521 ± 1,334 mg) being most common in 32 products. There were 49 small molecule isolates, with 11 in three or more products, with caffeine (181 ± 59 mg) being the most common in 36 products. There were 14 minerals, with 10 in three or more products, and chromium (268 ± 282 mg) being most common in 12 products. There were 13 vitamins, with 10 in three or more products, and cobalamin (49 ± 78 µg) being most common in 15 products. Amino acid and lipid categories were also identified with under 10 ingredients in each class. Ingredients described as proprietary, formulas, or blends were present in 44 of the 98 products. Thermogenic and weight loss supplement ingredients are very heterogeneous, complicating clinical understanding of their efficacy or safety for use in the USA or global marketplace.

Nanoparticles of kaempferol loaded in deamidated zein/pectin protein: Formation, stability, improved antioxidant capacity, and enhanced bioaccessibility

Xiaoyun Rong — 2026-06-30

Kaempferol is a dietary polyphenol with abundant bioactivities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer. However, its poor bioavailability limits the utilization. Therefore, food-grade delivery formulations are explored to overcome it. In this study, kaempferol was loaded into deamidated zein/pectin to prepare complex nanoparticles (KZN) with a diameter of 158.3 nm and loading efficiency of 89.54%. The kaempferol exists in amorphous form within the complex nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions were the main force holding these complexes together. Heating, sodium chloride addition and pH changes did not result in aggregation of KZN. Compared with free kaempferol, the bioaccessibility of kaempferol complexed with zein nanoparticle was enhanced 2-fold, which attributed to higher antioxidant activities. Overall, this study indicates that the KZN had great potential as a delivery technique for hydrophobic compounds in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.

Brown rice bran fermented with Aspergillus oryzae attenuates cognitive decline in aged mice accompanied by induction of immediate early genes in hippocampus

Taiki Teruya — 2026-06-30

Brown rice bran fermented with Aspergillus oryzae (FBRA), produced via fermentation of rice bran with the specific fungus, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in murine models. Because oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are critical in the brain aging and cognitive impairment, we hypothesized that FBRA would improve cognitive function. We explored the impact of FBRA on cognitive impairment in mice focusing on cognitive behaviors and the profile of hippocampal gene expression. Twenty-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups: lab chow (LCD), LCD+FBRA, high fat diet (HFD), and HFD+FBRA. After fifty weeks, cognitive function was examined by two behavioral tests. FBRA administration significantly improved cognitive function under both LCD and HFD conditions. Hippocampal microarray analyses revealed that expression levels of immediate early genes including Egr1 and Nr4a1 were exclusively increased in LCD+FBRA compared to LCD. These findings raise a possibility that FBRA improves cognitive function in aged mice at least partly by modulating hippocampal gene expression.