Therapeutic Potentials of the Most Studied Flavonoids: Highlighting Antibacterial and Antidiabetic Functionalities

Of the phytochemicals, flavonoids play a central role in human diet as valuable food ingredients. They constitute the major group of water-soluble compounds (from fruit and vegetable sources) with two benzene rings separated by a propane unit and generally occur in glycoside form. In recent times most studies on flavonoids have focused on their role in diabetes and obesity being crucial to dietary pattern for maintenance of a healthy weight. People who follow specific diets (especially flavonoid-rich diets) are at low risk of a range of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and inflammation. Regular consumption of flavonoid-rich foods has been associated with a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL levels, the prevention of heart diseases, and the regulation of lipid metabolism/accumulation and/or thermogenesis, and β-oxidation. Flavonoids are considered potent natural antibiotics because they can inhibit bacterial growth. Hence, these compounds can be called green gold and can prevent the body from chronic diseases when optimum doses in the daily diet are consumed. Given the increase in life expectancy in recent years, these nonnutritive components are probably important tools to improve the quality of life.