Alona Zerlin

University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA · School of Medicine

Abstract Spices are rich in natural antioxidants and have been shown to be potent inhibitors of lipid peroxidation during cooking of meat. Turmeric contains unique conjugated curcuminoids with strong antioxidant activity. Piperine, one of the main constituents of black pepper, is known to increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids in mouse and hu...

Introduction The intake of vegetables in the US remains below the recommendation in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; particularly intake of cruciferous vegetables is often low, due to their bitter taste. The aim of this ongoing study is to examine if added spice mixtures can offset taste aversions and increase the intake of different vegetable...

Hass avocados are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid) and antioxidants (carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols) and are often eaten as a slice in a sandwich containing hamburger or other meats. Hamburger meat forms lipid peroxides during cooking. After ingestion, the stomach functions as a bioreactor generating additional lipid peroxide...

Background High fat intake has been demonstrated to promote endothelial dysfunction possibly through an increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in serum nitric oxide. Objective study the effect of spice mixture on malondialdehyde (MDA) production, serum nitric oxide and postprandial endothelial dysfunction measured as peripheral arterial tonom...

Oxidant stress is a factor in the development of allergic sensitization and asthma by triggering an inflammatory response. Well‐characterized Diesel Exhaust Particles (DEP) collected from the emissions of a diesel engine have been shown in vitro , in animals and human to induce inflammatory and pro‐allergic effects that can be abrogated by antioxid...

The Hass Avocado contains monounsaturated fats (oleic acid) and antioxidants (carotenoids, tocopherol). Cooked hamburger meat contains lipid peroxidation products formed during cooking. After ingestion, the stomach functions as a bioreactor, generating lipid peroxides and this process can be inhibited when antioxidants are ingested together with th...

Oxidant stress is a factor in the development of allergic sensitization and asthma by triggering an inflammatory response. Well‐characterized Diesel Exhaust Particles (DEP) have been shown in vitro and in animals to induce inflammatory and pro‐allergic effects that can be abrogated by antioxidants, but this has not been demonstrated in humans. In p...

Dihydrocapsiate (DCT) is a natural safe food ingredient which is structurally related to capsaicin from chili pepper and is found in the non-pungent pepper strain, CH-19 Sweet. It has been shown to elicit the thermogenic effects of capsaicin but without its gastrointestinal side effects. The present study was designed to examine the effects of DCT...

Decreased bone mineral density and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women represents a growing source of physical limitations and financial concerns in our aging population. While appropriate medical treatments such as bisphosphonate drugs and hormone replacement therapy exist, they are associated with serious side effects such as osteonecrosis of th...

There is a widely held view that, due to high fat content, snacking on nuts will lead to weight gain, ultimately causing unhealthy changes in lipid profiles. This study is designed to study the effects of pistachio snack consumption on body weight and lipid levels in obese participants under real-world conditions. Participants were randomly assigne...

Dihydrocapsiate (DCT) is a naturally occurring compound which is structurally related to capsaicin from hot pepper but found in a non‐pungent pepper CH‐19 Sweet. It is also a well‐studied potential food ingredient that elicits some of favorable metabolic effects experienced from capsaicin without side effects. In order to determine whether DCT incr...

Emerging science has shown the effect of oxidation products and inflammation on atherogenesis and carcinogenesis. Cooking hamburger meat can promote the formation of malondialdehyde that can be absorbed after ingestion. We studied the effect of an antioxidant spice mixture on malondialdehyde formation while cooking hamburger meat and its effects on...

Strawberries are known to contain antioxidants, but the significance of ingesting antioxidant-rich fruits remains to be established. In order to determine whether the consumption of strawberries impacted measures of in vivo antioxidant capacity, frozen strawberries (250 g) were administered daily for 3 weeks to 21 healthy female volunteers. Complia...

There is a widely held view that nut consumption due to its high fat content leads to weight gain and unhealthy lipid profiles. In order to study the effects of pistachio snack consumption in obese subjects under real world conditions, subjects were randomly assigned to two weight reduction diets with a 500 Cal deficit diet based on RMR using whole...

Oxidized lipids may be formed during the cooking of fatty meats and absorbed into the body where they may contribute to the cellular processes of atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis. Herbs and spices contain a wide array of phytochemicals with strong antioxidant capacity in vitro. In order to determine whether a mix of antioxidant spices including o...

Pomegranate juice (PJ), a rich source of polyphenols including ellagitannins, has attracted much attention due to its reported health benefits. This has resulted in the consumption of liquid and powder pomegranate extracts as alternatives to PJ. Therefore establishing the bioavailability of polyphenols from these extract preparations is necessary....

Pomegranate juice (PJ), a rich source of polyphenols including ellagitannins, has attracted much attention due to its reported health benefits. This has resulted in the consumption of liquid and powder pomegranate extracts as alternatives to PJ. Therefore establishing the bioavailability of polyphenols from these extract preparations is necessary....