Table 3 The beneficial effects of immune boosting foods assessed by clinical trials
From: Immune boosting functional components of natural foods and its health benefits
S.No | Commodity | Clinical study subject | Clinical trial parameters and objective | Results of the trial | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Red ginseng extracted from root (active compound: ginsenosides) | Mouse | Different types of ginsenosides were extracted (20Â mg/kg) and were evaluated for inhibiting lung inflammation. | Ginsenosides such as Rc, Re, Rg1 and Rh2 were found to reduce the cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (cause by inflammation) | (Lee et al. 2018) |
|  | Açai (active compound: ellagic acid, resveratrol, anthocyanin and proanthocyanin) | Human (women) | 40 healthy women, aged 24, were given 200 g Açai per day for 4 weeks and assessed for n plasma lipids, apolipoproteins, the transfer of lipids to HDL and redox metabolism. | Açai consumption was found to significantly decrease the reactive species, Ox-Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and malondialdehyde content in the blood sample. Further the total antioxidant capacity was also observed to increase in women after 4 weeks. | (Pala et al. 2018) |
| Â | Garlic (active compound: allicin) | Human | Adults- 192 members with low LDL were selected and given garlic (raw garlic, powdered garlic, and garlic extract) for 6Â days per week for 6Â months and assessed for changes in the LDL. | No significant changes in LDL were observed for consumption of all garlic products | (Gardner et al. 2007) |
|  | Fermented milk (active compound: probiotics) | Mice | Milk fermented using Lactobacillus casei (2 ± 1 × 109 CFU/ml) was subjected (60 days) to mice for assessing its effect on metastatic stage of breast cancer | Fermented milk administered were found to reduce the metastasis and inflammatory cells in lungs and the reductions were more than mice administered with raw milk | (Mendez Utz et al. 2019) |
|  | Cream cheese (active compound: probiotics) | Mice | Cream cheese produced using Lactococcus chungangensis dry cells. 1.4 g dissolved in 200 μl of water was administered to mice for 8 weeks to assess the treatment of atopic dermatitis | The administration aided in reducing the IgE, basophil cells and eosinophil in mice | (Kim et al. 2019) |
|  | Peach palm waste (active compound: β-carotene, γ-carotene, and lycopene) | Wistar rats | Carotenoids from peach palm wastes were extracted (ionic liquid mediated process) and subjected to animal trials through gavage feeding for assessing its effect on safety, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. | Carotenoids supplemented wistar rats were less in weight. Increase in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions were observed. | (Santamarina et al. 2022) |
|  | Palm oil, native to amazon-Tucuma (active compound: oleic/elaidic fatty acids) | Diabetic mice | Palm oil was subjected to diabetic mice 5 ml/kg for 14 days through gavage feeding to analyse the effect on memory, enzymatic activities of sodium–potassium pump and TBARS value. | Compared to the mice subjected with normal supplements, the ones provided with tucuma oil was found to have more memory, reduced ROS activity, TBARS value and oxidation | (Baldissera et al. 2017) |
| Â | Plant flavonoids (active compound: genistein and hesperidin- purchased from commercial company) | Broiler chicken | Administered to lipopolysaccharides challenged broiler, 5Â mg genistein /kg feed and 20Â mg hesperidin per kg feed for 6Â weeks for assessing the immunomodulatory effect. | The supplementation in chickens were observed to increase the plasma antioxidant effect during the growth. Further humoral and mucosal immunity was also found to be increased | (Kamboh et al. 2016) |
| Â | Curcumin (purchased commercially) | Wistar rats | 50Â mg/kg of curcumin was administered to wistar rats for 30Â days to analyse the antioxidant activity on curcumin | Spleen size and Adenosine deaminase activity reduced. Lipid damage was reduced by 40% in liver and 56% in kidney | (Manzoni et al. 2020) |
| Â | Litchi (active compound: polysaccharide) | Mice | Litchi pulp polysaccharide was given to mice at different concentrations- 50, 100 and 200Â mg/kg each day to assess the immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. | The administered dosage was found to have immunomodulatory effect in serum and liver. The antioxidant activity and superoxide dismutase activity increased | (Huang et al. 2016) |