Early results from Med project look promising
vegetables eaten in Southern Europe has already found significant
activity in antioxidant assays, researchers said today.
A large project to assess the health benefits of local wild vegetables eaten in Southern Europe has already found significant activity in antioxidant assays, researchers said today.
The European Commission-funded project could identify new plants that can help prevent cardiovascular disease.
"We are looking at wild and weedy food plants that are traditionally consumed in isolated villages in southern Europe. The aim is to better understand the local uses of the plants and to search for new nutraceuticals that might be produced commercially," explained Dr Andrea Pieroni, from the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, which is co-ordinating the project. She was speaking at the British Pharmaceutical Conference opening in Harrogate, UK today.
The Mediterranean diet, including high consumption of fruits and vegetables, olive oil and red wine, has been widely studied for its association with good cardiovascular health. But much less is known about the properties of wild vegetables native to the region.
The new project is looking at plants traditionally eaten in rural communities of Southern Italy, Greece and Southern Spain. Ethnobotanical study is being combined with modern molecular biology and pharmacology to identify the food plants, document the gathering and cooking processes, and then investigate the pharmacological activities.
To date, over 100 species used as food have been identified in Gallicianò and Castelmezzano in Southern Italy. Many of these plants are considered to be healthy by the local users, sometimes because of their bitterness.
"The results to date from our in vitro antioxidant tests are very encouraging. Our research partners are now starting in vivo studies with some of the plant extracts," said Dr Pieroni.
The project involves research centres in Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and the UK.
