From the current investigations, it can be concluded that garlic based designer foods possess the prophylactic perspectives to alleviate the risk of metabolic ailments. Thus, it can be used in the diet based therapeutic interventions as an adjuvant to pharmaceuticals.

Sulforaphane belongs to the active class of isothiocyanates capable of delivering various biological benefits for health promotion and disease prevention. This compound is considered vital to curtail numerous metabolic disorders. Various studies have proven its beneficial effects against cancer prevention and its possible utilization as a therapeutic agent in cancer treatment. Understanding the mechanistic pathways and possible interactions at cellular and subcellular levels is key to design and develop cancer therapeutics for humans. In this respect, a number of mechanisms such as modulation of carcinogen metabolism & phase II enzymatic activities, cell cycle arrest, activation of Nrf2, cytotoxic, proapoptotic and apoptotic pathways have been reported to be involved in cancer prevention. This article provides sufficient information by critical analysis to understand the mechanisms involved in cancer prevention attributed to sulforaphane. Furthermore, various clinical studies have also been included for design and development of novel therapies for cancer prevention and cure. Practical applications Diet and dietary components are potential tools to address various lifestyle‐related disorders. Due to plenty of environmental and cellular toxicants, the chances of cancer prevalence are quite large which are worsen by adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Cancer can be treated with various therapies but those are acquiring side effects causing the patients to suffer the treatment regime. Nutraceuticals and functional foods provide safer options to prevent or delay the onset of cancer. In this regard, sulforaphane is a pivotal compound to be targeted as a potential agent for cancer treatment both in preventive and therapeutic regimes. This article provides sufficient evidence via discussing the underlying mechanisms of positive effects of sulforaphane to further the research for developing anticancer drugs that will help assuage this lethal morbidity.

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Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is caused by abnormal production of androgens resulting in the formation of small fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries. This condition worsens the life quality of women by disturbing their physiology and psychology in reproductive age. PCOS may also be associated with other morbidities like diabetes and hypertension. Numerous factors like imbalanced dietary patterns, poor lifestyle activities, improper care and medication, late diagnosis, and ignorance are involved in the prevalence of this disease in women. Hence, an early diagnosis and improved dietary and lifestyle management may improve the life quality and timely recovery of the patient from this disease. Various herbal extracts show a positive correlation in reducing the indicators associated with PCOS. This review discusses the effect of dietary and lifestyle practices on PCOS as prominent features. It has been recommended that a balanced diet with 40% energy from carbohydrates, 30% from fats, and 30% from protein with optimum physical activity could reduce severe PCOS symptoms and improve metabolic balance. Furthermore, recommendations for modification of diet and lifestyle activities are made which may positively influence the recovery from PCOS. Practical applicationsPolycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) severely affects the life quality of suffering women. The dietary patterns, lifestyle activities, and co-medical conditions collectively affect the severity and related consequences of PCOS. This article provides sufficient information on dietary and lifestyle modifications to effectively manage this disease. Furthermore, dietitians, nutritionists, gynecologists, and obstetrics physicians can benefit from the information provided in it to understand and develop the management strategies to alleviate the disease symptoms and severity.

Background: Garlic (Allium sativum) possesses health enhancing abilities due to the presence various phytoceutics moities. The current research was deigned to explore the phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of Pakistani garlic. Methods: Garlic extracts were obtained using methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate at different time intervals (35, 50 and 65 min) followed by their polyphenols and flavonoid content determination. Afterwards, the antioxidant potential was also determined. Results: The outcomes revealed that the methanolic extracts obtained at 50 min extraction time showed maximum total phenolics as 60.38±0.23 mg GAE/100g and flavonoids as 58.45±1.24 mg/100g. Similarly, the highest DPPH activity (61.59±1.58%) and β-carotene and linoleic acid potential (64.96±1.72%) were also observed for methanolic extract. Conclusion: Inferences were made that Pakistani garlic contains myriad of phenolics and flavonoids but the extraction of these components depends upon the solvent/time combination. In this study, methanol proved to be the ideal solvent for the maximum extraction of phytochemicals from garlic.

The use of functional foods in the dietary regime proves to be pragmatic approach to ensure better health and well-being. In this regard, date fruit is a promising source of certain essential nutrients. In the present work, the nutritional profile of three selected Pakistani date cultivars namely Dhaki, Aseel and Zahidi was explored. The results indicated that Aseel cultivar contains the highest moisture trailed by Dhaki and Zahidi. More protein was present in the Zahidi cultivar as 4.60±0.18% followed by Dhaki and Aseel as 4.22±0.15 and 3.72±0.14%, respectively. However, the crude fat content was higher in Aseel and Zahidi dates as compared to Dhaki (1.28±0.04%). The fiber content was the highest in Zahidi (7.19±0.27%) followed by Dhaki (6.47±0.23%) and Aseel dates (4.84±0.17%). The ash content was recorded as 1.54±0.06, 0.94±0.03 and 1.91±0.07% in Dhaki, Aseel and Zahidi, respectively. Among the analyzed minerals, potassium was dominant in all the selected varieties. The highest potassium content was found in Zahidi (870.83±32.39 mg/100g), followed by Dhaki (640.23±24.97 mg/100g) and Aseel (577.30±17.90 mg/100g) on fresh weight basis. Calcium was also high in Zahidi as 96.86±3.18 mg/100g trailed by Aseel (58.42±2.04 mg/100g) and Dhaki (37.19±1.30 mg/100g). Similar trend was observed in case of sodium and iron contents. The sugar profile of selected cultivars was assessed chromatographically and results revealed the highest reducing sugars in Zahidi (39.51±0.54%), trailed by Aseel (34.90±0.46%) and Dhaki (31.31±0.69%). Glucose was present in higher amounts in Dhaki as compared to Aseel and Zahidi. While, better fructose content was exhibited by Zahidi followed by Aseel and Dhaki. Maximum amount of sucrose was found in Zahidi variety (26.15±0.37%) trailed by Dhaki (20.11±0.29%) and Aseel (17.22±0.24%).

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