Table 2 Origin, bioactive compounds and health-promoting properties of immune-boosting foods
From: Immune boosting functional components of natural foods and its health benefits
Foodstuff | Family | Origin | Compound | Immune boosting property | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple | Rosaceae | California | Phloretin, Quercetin, Kaempferol | Rich in quercetin, antioxidants, and polyphenols | (Hyun & Jang 2016) |
Almonds | Rosaceae | Egypt | Naringenin, Myricetin | Iron, Vitamin E | (Barreca et al. 2020; Huang & Lapsley 2019; Kamil & Chen 2012) |
Avocado | Lauraceae | Mexico | Catechin, Niacin, and pyrogallol | Antioxidant, antiobesity property | |
Beetroot | Amaranthaceae | Egypt | Betalains | High in minerals, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and detoxifying properties | (Clifford et al. 2015) |
Bell Pepper | Solanaceae | South America | Luteolin | Vitamin A, Vitamin C | (Nadeem et al. 2011) |
Broccoli | Brassicaceae | Italy | Sulforaphane, Luteolin, Kaempferol | Guards against cancer, Vitamin C and E, antioxidants, folate, iron, choline, lutein, sulforaphane | (Vasanthi et al. 2009) |
Carrots | Apiaceae | Dutch | Luteolin | Beta carotene, Vitamin C | (Ahmad et al. 2019) |
Chia seed | Lamiaceae | Central and southern Mexico | Fibre, polyphenols, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acid vitamins, minerals, and peptides | cardiovascular disease, platelet aggregation, cholesterol, diabetes and constipation | (Khalid et al. 2023) |
Cinnamon | Lauraceae | Egypt | Cinnamaldehyde | Anti-inflammatory properties | (Singletary 2019) |
Citrus fruits | Rutaceae | Southeast Asia | Tangeritin, Quercetin, Hesperitin, Naringenin | Vitamin C & polyphenols, Anti-inflammatory properties | |
Dark leafy vegetables | Amaranthaceae | Asia | Riboflavin | Antioxidants, Vitamin C, K & Folate | (Jiménez-Aguilar & Grusak 2017) |
Durian | Malvaceae | Borneo | Carotenoids | Antioxidant activity | (Ali et al. 2020) |
Echinacea | Asteraceae | North America | echinacoside, cynarin, cichoric acid | Antimicrobial | |
Garlic | Amaryllidaceae | Central Asia | Allicin | Antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties | (Zhang et al. 2020) |
Ginger | Zingiberaceae | Southeast Asia | Gingerols | Antibacterial activity | (J. O. Lee et al. 2015; Srinivasan 2017; Tramontin et al. 2020) |
Ginseng | Araliaceae | Korea | Ginsenosides, saponins | Antioxidant, antitumor, antihyperglycemic, skin protecting, anti-osteoporotic anticancer, anti-infective and respiratory problems | (Riaz et al. 2019) |
Goji berries | Solanaceae | Asia | Phytochemicals | Prebiotic, neuroprotective and hepatoprotective properties | (Skenderidis et al. 2020) |
Grapes | Vitaceae | Egypt | Naringenin, resveratrol | Antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and immune system modulator | (Percival 2009) |
Green tea | Theaceae | China | Epigallocatechin gallate, Quercetin, Kaempferol | Anticarcinogenic activity and antioxidant activity | (Muhammad Saeed et al. 2017) |
Kiwi | Actinidiaceae | China | Cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside | Vitamin C, antioxidant | (Richardson et al. 2018) |
Moringa leaves | Moringaceae | India | Vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, essential nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, iron, and potassium | Oxidative stress, boost antioxidant ability and immunity, malnutrition, swelling, bacterial contaminations, viral contagions, hyperglycemia, and cancer | (Mehwish et al. 2022) |
Mushroom | Agaricaceae | France | β-glucans, Nicotinamide | Vitamin D and anti-cancer effects | (Ma et al. 2018) |
Onion | Amaryllidaceae | Central Asia | Quercetin, Kaempferol | Anticarcinogenic activity and antioxidant activity | (Suleria et al. 2015) |
Parsley | Apiaceae | Greece | Luteolin, Apigenin | High levels of coumarin | (Ajmera et al. 2019) |
Passion fruit | Passifloraceae | Brazil | Quercetin | Antioxidant activity, anticonvulsant, anti-sedative, anticancer properties | (Lourith & Kanlayavattanakul 2020) |
Pomegranate | Punicacea | Iran | Punicalagin | Antioxidant activity | (Gil et al. 2000; Puneeth & Sharath Chandra 2020; Viuda-Martos et al. 2010) |
Pepper | Piperaceae | India | Piperine | Antiviral and antibacterial activity | (Choudhary et al. 2020) |
Pumpkin | Cucurbitaceae | Mexico | Luteolin | Betacarotene | (S. Kaur et al. 2019) |
Rambutan | Sapindaceae | Malaysia | Geraniin, ellagic acid, corilagin | Antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic activity | (Bhat 2020) |
Strawberry | Rosaceae | France | Phloretin | Antioxidant activity and anticarcinogenic activity | (Afrin et al. 2016) |
Sunflower seed | Asteraceae | North America and Central America | Diterpene, carboxylic acid, aldehyde, steroid, polyphenol, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, trans-caffeic acid, coumaric acid, nicotinic acid, allelochemical | Polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid), tocopherols and phytosterols | (Rauf et al. 2020) |
Sweet potato | Convolvulaceae | Central America | Dietary fibre, starch, protein, manganese, copper, potassium, iron, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, and provitamin A | Anti-cancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory activities | (Amagloh et al. 2021) |
Tomato | Solanaceae | Peru | Ascorbic acid, Naringenin | Antioxidant activity and anticarcinogenic activity | (Blum et al. 2005) |
Turmeric | Zingiberaceae | Southeast Asia | Curcumin, Berberine | Antibacterial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and antioxidant activity | (Singletary 2010b) |