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Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds in Foods and Their Impact on Human Health

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2026) | Viewed by 4530

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, AR 71601, USA
Interests: bioactive compounds; plant biochemistry; food quality and safety; antioxidants; human health; physiological functions; fruits and vegetables

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Regulations, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Dr., 148 Woodard Hall, Mail Slot 4913, Pine Bluff, AR 71601, USA
Interests: fatty acids; lipid metabolism; food engineering; extraction methods; nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute original research and review articles to this Special Issue of Foods, entitled “Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds in Foods and Their Impact on Human Health”.

The rising prevalence of chronic, degenerative, and lifestyle-related diseases highlights the urgent need for a deeper understanding of the role of diet in disease prevention and health promotion. Nutritional composition and bioactive compounds in foods, whether naturally occurring or derived from agricultural by-products, play critical roles in modulating physiological functions, reducing oxidative stress, controlling inflammation, and supporting metabolic health.

This Special Issue aims to advance scientific knowledge on the relationship between food composition, bioactive molecules, and human health outcomes. Contributions should focus on the identification, quantification, and characterization of nutritional and bioactive components, as well as the elucidation of their functional, biological, and pharmacological properties.

Manuscripts are encouraged to address the following areas:

  • Comprehensive chemical profiling of foods using chromatographic, spectroscopic, and metabolomic techniques.
  • In vitro, in vivo, preclinical, and clinical evidence of health-promoting and disease-preventing activities.
  • Mechanistic insights into antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and other functional effects.
  • Cytotoxicity, safety, and pharmacotoxicological assessments of food-derived compounds.
  • Innovative strategies to enhance the bioavailability and stability of bioactive compounds.
  • Bioinformatics and systems biology approaches for target–compound interactions.

We especially welcome studies on emerging and underutilized foods, functional food products, and the sustainable use of nutrient-rich by-products. By bringing together cutting-edge research from diverse disciplines, this Special Issue will provide a platform for translating food composition science into tangible health benefits.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Shahidul Islam
Dr. Jahurul Haque Akanda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutritional composition
  • bioactive compounds
  • functional foods
  • antioxidant activity
  • anti-inflammatory effects
  • disease prevention
  • human health benefits

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2031 KB  
Article
Effect of Vitamin K Supplementation on Testosterone Production in a Rat Model of Late-Onset Hypogonadism
by Rui Murakami, Yusuke Ohsaki, Hikaru Ito, Hsin-Jung Ho, Afifah Zahra Agista, Yi-Fen Chiang, Ya-Ling Chen, Masamitsu Maekawa, Takuo Hirose, Kenshiro Hara, Wan-Chun Chiu, Chiu-Li Yeh, Shih-Min Hsia, Suh-Ching Yang, Nariyasu Mano, Takefumi Mori and Hitoshi Shirakawa
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061070 - 18 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2135
Abstract
Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is an age-related condition characterized by a decline in testosterone (Ts) levels and associated symptoms that impair quality of life in older men. Although Ts replacement therapy is available, its clinical use is limited by adverse effects. Vitamin K (VK) [...] Read more.
Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is an age-related condition characterized by a decline in testosterone (Ts) levels and associated symptoms that impair quality of life in older men. Although Ts replacement therapy is available, its clinical use is limited by adverse effects. Vitamin K (VK) is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions as a cofactor for γ-glutamylcarboxylase and plays important roles in blood coagulation and bone homeostasis. Menaquinone-4 (MK-4), a VK homolog predominantly found in animal-derived foods, has been shown to enhance Ts production in healthy male rats. However, whether this effect occurs under low-Ts conditions remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of VK on LOH using a leuprorelin acetate (LA)-induced low-Ts rat model. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were administered sustained-release LA and fed a control diet or diets supplemented with VK1 or MK-4 (75 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Compared with the control group, MK-4 supplementation significantly ameliorated the reduction in serum Ts levels and seminiferous tubule diameter, whereas VK1 supplementation showed no significant effects. Furthermore, MK-4 supplementation activated the protein kinase A signaling pathway, which is directly involved in testicular Ts production. These findings suggest that MK-4 supplementation may represent a novel nutritional strategy for the management of LOH. Full article
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Review

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22 pages, 2136 KB  
Review
Anticancer Mechanisms of Bioactive Compounds from Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Leaves: A Systematic Review
by Saleh Shafique Chowdhury, Muhammad Abul Kalam Azad, Nanziba Ibnat and Shahidul Islam
Foods 2026, 15(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15010093 - 29 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2014
Abstract
Sweet potato leaves (SPL) are increasingly recognized as a significant source of nutritionally and pharmacologically important bioactive compounds. This systematic review critically synthesizes current in vitro, in vivo, and preclinical data to evaluate the cancer preventive properties of SPL, with emphasis on their [...] Read more.
Sweet potato leaves (SPL) are increasingly recognized as a significant source of nutritionally and pharmacologically important bioactive compounds. This systematic review critically synthesizes current in vitro, in vivo, and preclinical data to evaluate the cancer preventive properties of SPL, with emphasis on their phytochemical composition, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic relevance. A comprehensive literature search across major scientific databases (2015–2025), guided by PRISMA methodology, initially identified 29,416 records. After applying pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria and screening titles, abstracts, and full-texts, 38 eligible studies were included. The compiled evidence demonstrates that SPL contains high concentrations of phenolic acids, flavonoids, peptides, carotenoids, and dietary fiber, all of which contribute to diverse anticancer activities. Reported mechanisms include apoptosis induction, cell-cycle arrest, limitation of tumor propagation and metastatic activity, regulation of oncogenic pathways (PI3K/Akt, MAPK, NF-κB), modulation of inflammatory mediators, and suppression of angiogenesis. These effects were observed across multiple cancer models, including liver, colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancers. In addition, SPL represents a promising natural source of anticancer agents, significant gaps remain, particularly regarding standardized extraction procedures, phytochemical characterization, bioavailability, and human clinical validation. Overall, this review underscores SPL as a sustainable and underutilized plant resource with potential applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and adjunctive cancer therapy, while highlighting the need for mechanistic studies, pharmacokinetic investigations, and well-designed clinical trials to support future translational development. Full article
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