Effects of Functional Components in Cereals or Natural Products on Human Function

Dear Colleagues,

While cereals and their related components, which contain numerous nutritional benefits, are consumed by more than half of the world’s population, natural products are widely used as alternative medicine for their disease-modifying efficacy. Well-known cereals, natural products and their components including starch, oils, fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients are widely recognized for their potential benefits in improving human functions. Additionally, in recent years, a wide array of fibers and bioactive phytochemicals, such as tocopherols, tocotrienols, vitamin B complex, phytosterols, carotenoids in rice bran, wheat, corn, millet, black rice, buckwheat, oats, and natural products such as yams, dates, and goji berries are also garnering increasing attention for their nutritional efficiencies. However, there is scarce experimental evidence on the role of cereals and natural products in the progression of human diseases, which merits further research and value-added development. This Special Issue aims to highlight the mechanisms of functional components in cereals and natural products in regulating intestinal immune, microbial homeostasis and other biological processes. It will also underscore research on intestinal microecology and the development of nutritional functional foods to open up the possibility for exploiting the health-beneficial characteristics of these tremendously important and underutilized cereals and natural products.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Xiaohu Luo
Dr. Wensen He
Dr. Yingbin Shen
Guest Editors

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