This book provides a complete review of multiple metabolic disorders and the use of phytochemicals for their prevention and treatment. When describing each metabolic disorder, all authors describe de main health alterations, providing the most current figures and statistics worldwide; medicinal plants used in traditional medicine for its treatment and scientific information related to their potential to prevent or treat each condition. Authors also include a complete scientific background check, complete analysis of all phytochemicals recommended for each disorder, a description of the mechanism(s) of action and in vivo and/or in vitro studies. Within this volume, a series of 3 plant species, recommended to treat or prevent the previously described disorders, are presented with their botanical information, traditional use in different cultures and countries, and the available scientific information validating their health benefits. Besides six main metabolic disorders are described, providing a full scientific background for its general understanding, and three study cases are presented, where metabolic disorders are analyzed and approached from different medical and pharmaceutical angles.

This book provides a complete review of multiple metabolic disorders and the use of phytochemicals for their prevention and treatment. When describing each metabolic disorder, all authors describe the main health alterations, providing the most current figures and statistics worldwide; medicinal plants used in traditional medicine for its treatment and scientific information related to their potential to prevent or treat each condition. Authors also include a complete scientific background check, comprehensive analysis of all phytochemicals recommended for each disorder, a description of the mechanism(s) of action and in vivo and/or in vitro studies. Within this volume, a series of 7 plant species, recommended to treat or prevent the previously described disorders, are presented with their botanical information, traditional use in different cultures and countries, and the available scientific information validating their health benefits. Besides, six main metabolic disorders are described, providing a full scientific background for its general understanding, and three study cases are presented, where metabolic disorders are analyzed and approached from different medical and pharmaceutical angles. Chapter 1 a Soybean contains a great nutritional value, which makes it an excellent food for the human diet. It has large amounts of protein and lipids and also provides fiber, calcium, iron, zinc, and several vitamins. For these reasons, the possible benefits of soy consumption for human health have been studied. Although the results obtained to date have not been conclusive, thanks to its high content of isoflavones (phytochemicals with estrogenic activity), soy is attributed with anti-inflammatory, antioxidants and antifungals properties. Moreover, soybeans could provide significant benefits to patients with cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or diabetes. Chapter 2 a Oil, proteins, vitamins, fibers, and phytochemicals present in the avocado plant have shown the excellent capability of not only addressing the prevalence of these metabolic diseases but also being safe and having minimal side effects. The general objective of this book chapter is to review the bioactive compounds and their action to promote health benefits in the prevention and management of metabolic disorders. Chapter 3 a Heliopsis longipes roots, which contain affinin, has been used in traditional cuisine as a spice for its pungent. Due to its tingling and numbing properties, it is frequently applied to heal diverse pains such as toothache, earache, and headache. Within this chapter, its applications on anti-inflammatory activity, local anesthetic, analgesic, anti-mutagenic, and antioxidant activity, will be reviewed. Chapter 4 a The species Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., represents a good source of nutrients and antioxidants in the diet of consumers. This chapter aims to offer a simple and economical alternative formulation of artisan conserves prepared with nopal, in which the antioxidant activity was evaluated. Chapter 5 a Metabolic syndrome is known as a group of metabolic abnormalities that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. The cost of health for companies is very high for workers who have obesity or metabolic syndrome compared to healthy workers. Metabolic syndrome is closely related to obesity, and this, in turn, is associated with a poor diet (high intake of carbohydrates and fats). This chapter explains the decrement of risk factors in workers of Young Living Ecuador Farm based on the Health Belief Model. Chapter 6 a The objective of this chapter book was to analyze the evidence obtained by clinical studies reported by scientific literature. Clinical studies have employed different components or products of grapes, such as pulp, freeze-dried grape, extracts, wine, and a distinct dose of resveratrol, to demonstrate their biological properties against diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity. Chapter 7 a The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the analysis of whether glycated hemoglobin values could be used as a limit marker for earlier diagnosis of type 2 DM in overweight patients. This was a nonexperimental, analytical, retrospective, longitudinal study of 100 overweight patients diagnosed with type 2 DM. The study was carried out in 2014 at Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Hospital, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Chapter 8 a Rosemary is classified not only as spice or ornamental but also as a medicinal plant. It is an important source of volatile and non-volatile compounds. The proportion of them varies in function of diverse factors as a region of growth, environment, extraction treatment, and others. Thanks to its composition, rosemary owners several properties such as anti-obesity, anti-diabetes, anti-cancer, among others, thus the importance of this plant over metabolic diseases is presented in this chapter. Chapter 9 a Agave has been used in traditional medicine as an anesthetic, anticonvulsant, antipyretic, urinary antiseptic, cathartic, cicatricial, and regenerative, diuretic, emmenagogue, and eupeptic. Agave extracts and derived agave products have been used to prevent several metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. However, more studies are needed to support these effects.

This book describes an overview of essential oils in its first section, describing the main genera of plants used for essential oils production and explaining their genetic polymorphisms that might have an impact on the biosynthesis of these phytochemicals. Also, this book reviews the most relevant background on traditional and emerging extractive technologies, as well as the effect of post-harvest management practices for optimum extraction. In the second section of this book, the main applications of essential oils are described, related to their biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. It also explains how these properties can be applied in the cosmetics, food, medicinal and agronomical fields. Specific applications of essential oils on diseases related to the skin, digestive, immune, respiratory and nervous systems, including some examples of essential oils and their applications are analyzed as well.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a well-known zinc-metallopeptidase that converts angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II and degrades bradykinin, a powerful vasodilator, both for the regulation of vascular tone and cardiac functions. Other natural substrates of ACE were identified broadening the functions of this enzyme within different physiological contexts such as neuronal metabolism, hematopoiesis, digestion, and reproduction. In this context, ACE has an essential role in diseases, for instance, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, oxidative stress, sperm maturation and fertility, intraocular pressure, bone metabolism, fibrillary glomerulonephritis, among others. This book describes the role of ACE as a part of the Renin-Angiotensin-System, on different metabolic processes related to some diseases, such as the examples already mentioned. Moreover, ACE is related to adipose tissue. The modulation of ACE can modulate hypertension and diseases related to this enzyme. Captopril is the first successful ACE inhibitor in the treatment of hypertension; however, it has adverse effects such as dry cough, dizziness, lightheadedness or loss of taste and others. The search for alternatives to Captopril has increased research on bioactive peptides. Then, several book chapters describe how ACE can be modulated by bioactive peptides, which are short amino acid sequences previously encrypted in whole proteins and liberated through the digestion process. Animal and vegetal proteins can be used as a source of bioactive peptides. Milk, milk-derived food products and lionfish are examples of animal proteins, while several legumes such as beans and peanuts are vegetable sources of bioactive peptides.