What are phytonutrients?

Nature has a way of looking after its own. Take the case, for example, of oranges. An orange is faced with as much strife in life as we are — bacteria, fungi, ultraviolet radiation, free radicals, and countless diseases. The orange’s defense is a package of 170 different plant compounds called “phytonutrients” that wage a surprisingly effective war against stress and disease.

1. What works for oranges works for us:

When we eat plant-based foods, some of these powerhouse phytonutrient protectors are transferred to our bodies. That smart little orange can lend us some of its protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists believe.

2. Eating phytonutrient rich food has benefits.

The USDA maintains a phytonutrient laboratory at one of its research centers. Part of their research has been into how phytonutrients may protect human health against disease. Among the many mechanisms they’re discovering is that some phytonutrients act as powerful antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals. Others have anti-inflammatory properties. Still others enhance cell to cell communication, which is necessary for optimal biochemical function and metabolism. Some phytonutrients are involved in converting vitamins from inactive forms in the body to more active forms, while still others cause cancer cells to die and detoxify carcinogenic substances. Finally, phytonutrients may repair damaged DNA caused by exposure to environmental toxins. Pooled together, phytonutrients can act as powerful allies helping to maintain our overall health.

3. In a pill or on a plate?

Many phytonutrients are available as dietary supplements. Though beneficial for certain conditions, supplements can’t always capture the many different combinations or interactions of phytonutrients found in food. That’s why a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is so important to good health. Science has yet to capture in a pill what nature has packaged so nicely in plants.

RESOURCES

1. Insel P, Turner ER, Ross D (ed.). Nutrition. Sudbury, MA. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc., 2001

2. Craig WJ. Phytochemicals: Guardians of Our Health . Vegetarian Nutrition: A Continuing Education Article. 

3. Somer E. The Origin Diet. New York, New York. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001.

4. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), United States Department of Agriculture, Molecules to meals: Understanding the health-promoting effects of phytochemicals .

5. Pierson HF. Over 170 phytonutrients in an orange. Oral presentation at 77th Annual Meeting of the American Dietetic Association, Orlando, FL. October 20, 1994.