Cholesterol-Reducing Flavonoids Found in Citrus Peels

The focus of this blog is the discovery of Glyconutrients. However, other nutraceuticals are also being developed as we speak. This is more validation of the emerging "Wellness Industry" predicted to be a Trillion Dollar business by world renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer.

The industry of Nutraceuticals has emerged based on non-toxic, functional food components standardized for higher quality and effectiveness. Nutraceuticals are natural high quality standardized supplements proven to have pharmacological health benefits as validated by medical and scientific research.

John A. Manthey, a chemist at the Winter Haven lab, is known for his work on citrus flavonoids in peel byproducts. His work has mainly focused on polymethoxylated flavones, or PMFs, which typically occur at very high concentrations in orange oil, especially in residues left behind after orange-oil processing. Orange-oil residues have traditionally been discarded as nonvalue wastes.

Manthey's research has shown that PMFs decrease blood serum levels of apoprotein B, the structural protein of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates, it can slowly lead to atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, and eventually cause heart attacks and strokes. These problems are accelerated by chronic, low-grade inflammation in blood vessels.

Manthey's work on PMFs began 8 years ago, when he met scientists from KGK Synergize of London, Ontario, Canada. KGK specializes in research to identify health-promoting compounds called "nutraceuticals." Sometimes called "functional foods," nutraceuticals are natural, bioactive chemical compounds with disease-preventing or medicinal properties. They're being commercially produced by food, pharmaceutical, herbal and dietary supplement industries.

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