Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 20-31 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 20 Research Insight Open Access The Role of Medicinal Food Substances in Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Huixian Li, Chuchu Liu Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: chuchu.liu@jicat.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0003 Received: 25 Dec., 2024 Accepted: 27 Jan., 2025 Published: 15 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Liu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li H.X., and Liu C.C., 2025, The role of medicinal food substances in chronic disease prevention and health promotion, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(1): 20-31 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0003) Abstract The study explores the central role of functional and medicinal food in preventing and controlling chronic ailments. The bioactive foods have a high proportion of polyphenols, carotenoids, and omega-3 fatty acids and were discovered to enhance overall well-being through the regulation of biological processes, decreasing inflammation, and improving metabolism. The study uncovers the means through which the foods can be used within the diet in order to prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and certain cancers. It also indicates the promise for personalized nutrition interventions and the need for further research to maximize the promise of the foods towards preventing chronic disease. Keywords Functional foods; Chronic disease prevention; Bioactive compounds; Health promotion; Metabolic regulation 1 Introduction Functional foods and medicinal substances have been in the spotlight of late due to their ability to promote health and prevent disease in addition to their normal nutritional value. Functional foods are foods that contain bioactive substances whose effectiveness reaches to chronic disease prevention and promotion of health. They are rich in bioactive constituents like polyphenols, terpenoids, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and numerous other phytochemicals and nutraceuticals (Shahidi, 2006; Adefegha, 2018; Essa et al., 2021). "Food as medicine" dates back to ancient times and was espoused by Hippocrates famously, when he wrote, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" (Chen and Su, 2023). This traditional wisdom has in recent times been supported by current scientific research that focuses on the functional foods' role in modulating physiological processes as well as augmenting health benefits (Abuajah et al., 2015; Langhans, 2017). Chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic disease is also usually linked to lifestyle disorders such as poor dietary habits, physical inactivity, and obesity (Langhans, 2017; Chen and Su, 2023). Chronic disease puts a huge burden all over the world with long-term economic and social implications. For instance, cardiovascular diseases and cancer are some of the primary causes of death globally, and their prevalence continues to rise (Ferrari and Torres, 2003; Battino et al., 2018). Food components have a central role in the pathogenesis and development of such diseases, which is why treatments using functional foods and drug-like compounds are necessary (Shahidi, 2006; Essa et al., 2021). This study will discuss the role of food drugs in preventing and managing chronic diseases by detailing bioactive compounds, mechanism of action, and potential beneficial effects on health. By examining various functional foods, i.e., fruits and vegetables, whole cereals, and sea foods, and their effects on diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease, this study emphasizes the utilization of these foods in dietetic intervention. This research will also elaborate more on the promise of customized nutrition interventions and the practice of functional foods as part of public health programs in the quest to counteract the rising disease burden of non-communicable diseases.
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