23 Nutraceutical and Pharmaceutical Applications …
577
voluntary global targets to be attained by 2025. They are aimed “to reduce harmful
use of alcohol, insufficient physical activity, salt/sodium intake, tobacco use, and
hypertension, halt the rise in diabetes and of obesity, and improve coverage of treatment for prevention of heart attacks and strokes” (WHO 2014). Regrettably, NCDs
progress monitor 2017 reported that despite many government political commitments
to prevent and control NCDs, these commitments are still insufficient to meet the
Sustainable Development Goal (WHO 2017). Apart from affecting human health,
NCDs affect the world economy; for example, the cumulative economic losses are
estimated at US$ 7 trillion during 2011–2025 (WHO 2014). Thus, it is evident that
the prevention and control of chronic diseases will contribute to the achievement of
sustainable development (WHO 2005). One strategy to prevent and control chronic
diseases is to eat fruits, vegetables, and wholegrain foods due to their nutritional
contents with abilities to boost the body’s immune system and self-healing, thus
leading to the reduction of the development of those diseases. In other words, nutrition is a key part of life, disease prevention, cancer treatment, and illness recovery
(Byers et al. 2002).
The safe, nutritious, and healthy food production and supply should be one of
many priority strategies and policies for development and implementation in each
country for tackling NCDs. New studies publicized that a diet with essential nutrients and enriched with bioactive food compounds (such as polyphenol, omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phytochemicals) can prevent, control, as well as treat
NCDs (Warburton et al. 2018; Hennig et al. 2018). Unfortunately, climate change has
threatened agriculture, which in turn leads to the lack of enough nutrient-rich foods
including fruits and vegetables (Gillespie and Bold 2017). There is a need to invest
significantly in an ordinary agriculture supportive strategy, which will contribute to
the production of enough nutrient-rich foods. Therefore, this chapter highlights the
linkage between algal-derived phycobiliproteins as potent nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents, and chronic disease prevention and control. Based on algal macro
and micro-nutritional contents, adequate integration of algal-derived functional foods
and nutraceuticals into food security and nutrition will contribute to the improvement of human health, thus leading to prevention and control of NCDs. For example,
algal resources contain antioxidant constituents, including phytonutrients such as
phycobiliproteins, superoxide dismutase (SOD), with abilities to scavenge the free
radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body that have been reported to
play a role in many diseases including heart diseases, cancer, hypertension, diabetes,
and atherosclerosis (Lee et al. 2007).
Moreover, free radicals and ROS play an important role in aging, another reason
why it is crucial to eat food that contains nutrients that can scavenge them for a healthy
life (Simm and Brömme 2005; Naidoo and Birch-Machin 2017; Ahsanuddin 2016).
There is also a need for well-established systems for monitoring and evaluating the
linkage between nutrient-rich food production, nutrition, and human health. Those
systems require a strong inter-collaboration between food producers, researchers,
nutritionists, health practitioners, policymakers, food industry technicians, and others
that will help establish adequate interconnected research, strategies, and policies
based on optimal nutrition for optimal health and healthy living. The collaboration
577
voluntary global targets to be attained by 2025. They are aimed “to reduce harmful
use of alcohol, insufficient physical activity, salt/sodium intake, tobacco use, and
hypertension, halt the rise in diabetes and of obesity, and improve coverage of treatment for prevention of heart attacks and strokes” (WHO 2014). Regrettably, NCDs
progress monitor 2017 reported that despite many government political commitments
to prevent and control NCDs, these commitments are still insufficient to meet the
Sustainable Development Goal (WHO 2017). Apart from affecting human health,
NCDs affect the world economy; for example, the cumulative economic losses are
estimated at US$ 7 trillion during 2011–2025 (WHO 2014). Thus, it is evident that
the prevention and control of chronic diseases will contribute to the achievement of
sustainable development (WHO 2005). One strategy to prevent and control chronic
diseases is to eat fruits, vegetables, and wholegrain foods due to their nutritional
contents with abilities to boost the body’s immune system and self-healing, thus
leading to the reduction of the development of those diseases. In other words, nutrition is a key part of life, disease prevention, cancer treatment, and illness recovery
(Byers et al. 2002).
The safe, nutritious, and healthy food production and supply should be one of
many priority strategies and policies for development and implementation in each
country for tackling NCDs. New studies publicized that a diet with essential nutrients and enriched with bioactive food compounds (such as polyphenol, omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phytochemicals) can prevent, control, as well as treat
NCDs (Warburton et al. 2018; Hennig et al. 2018). Unfortunately, climate change has
threatened agriculture, which in turn leads to the lack of enough nutrient-rich foods
including fruits and vegetables (Gillespie and Bold 2017). There is a need to invest
significantly in an ordinary agriculture supportive strategy, which will contribute to
the production of enough nutrient-rich foods. Therefore, this chapter highlights the
linkage between algal-derived phycobiliproteins as potent nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents, and chronic disease prevention and control. Based on algal macro
and micro-nutritional contents, adequate integration of algal-derived functional foods
and nutraceuticals into food security and nutrition will contribute to the improvement of human health, thus leading to prevention and control of NCDs. For example,
algal resources contain antioxidant constituents, including phytonutrients such as
phycobiliproteins, superoxide dismutase (SOD), with abilities to scavenge the free
radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body that have been reported to
play a role in many diseases including heart diseases, cancer, hypertension, diabetes,
and atherosclerosis (Lee et al. 2007).
Moreover, free radicals and ROS play an important role in aging, another reason
why it is crucial to eat food that contains nutrients that can scavenge them for a healthy
life (Simm and Brömme 2005; Naidoo and Birch-Machin 2017; Ahsanuddin 2016).
There is also a need for well-established systems for monitoring and evaluating the
linkage between nutrient-rich food production, nutrition, and human health. Those
systems require a strong inter-collaboration between food producers, researchers,
nutritionists, health practitioners, policymakers, food industry technicians, and others
that will help establish adequate interconnected research, strategies, and policies
based on optimal nutrition for optimal health and healthy living. The collaboration