Origin of Food as Medicine; discoveries of micronutrients, essential fatty acids, dietary fiber; chronic inflammation; phytochemicals, life expectancy; cause of death

1. FOOD AS MEDICINE:
FROM
OLD WISDOM TO MODERN SCIENCE
By
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD.
Former Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
University of Miami, Miami, FL.,USA
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com
A slide-video presentation for 74th OYG Session Feb 6th, 2021

2. Outline of Presentation
▪ Why I am interested in Food as Medicine
▪ What is food and what is medicine?
▪ The origins of Food as Medicine
▪ Discoveries of essential nutrients in food
▪ Phytochemicals
▪ Effects of fruits and vegetables on health
▪ Ayurvedic proverb.

3. Discovery of Pulmonary Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE)
and ACE Inhibitor in venom of Bothrops Jararaca 1967
Bothrops Jararaca
Kevin KF Ng

4. ACE inhibitors: new class of cardiovascular drugs
1981
Chemical structure of captopril

5. Clinical use of ACE inhibitors
USE

6. HAVE I CURED THE ROOT
CAUSE OF DISEASES?

8. “MEDICINES AND FOODS HAVE A COMMON ORIGIN”.
Old Chinese Proverb

9. What is food and what is medicine?
▪ Food: a nourishing substance that
is taken into body to sustain life,
provide energy and promote
growth.
▪ Medicine: the science of
practice of the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of
disease.

10. Sheng Nong (ca 2695 BC): Father of Chinese Medicine

11. Classification of herbs in Sheng Nong Ben Cao Jing (200-250 AD)
“The classic of Herbal Medicine”

12. Discovery of anti-malarial drug “artemisinin” from
“The classic of Herbal Medicine”

13. Tribute to Sheng Nong (The Divine Farmer)
(ca 2695 BC):

14. Hippocrates (460-370 BC): Father of
Western Medicine

15. Some Healing Plants and Herbs used by
Hippocrates (460-370 BC)
Aspirin

16. Discovery of aspirin (acetyl salicylate) from salicylic acid by
Hoffman in 1897
White willow bark Salicylic acid Acetylsalicylic acid
(aspirin)
Arachidonic acid
Prostaglandins
COX enzyme
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1119266/

17. Discovery of how aspirin relieves pain and inflammation in 1971
by
Sir John R. Vane, Nobel Laureate 1982
White willow bark Salicylic acid Acetylsalicylic acid
(aspirin)
Arachidonic acid
Prostaglandins
COX enzyme
https://thorax.bmj.com/content/55/suppl_2/S3
Ng & Vane 1967

18. FOODS, NUTRIENTS & DISEASES

19. Why do we eat?

20. Old concept about food and health from
1800 to 1900
adequate for optimal health

21. Deficiency of macronutrients from food:
Result of Famine
Starvation
Deficiency

22. Deficiency of Essential Micronutrients:
Vitamins & Minerals
▪ Micronutrient malnutrition is a term used to refer to
diseases caused by a dietary deficiency of vitamins
or minerals. Vitamins A, B, C and D, Calcium,
Folate, Iodine, Iron, Zinc.
▪ Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than two
billion people of all ages in both developing and
industrialized countries. Important micronutrients
include iodine, iron, zinc, calcium, selenium,
fluorine, and vitamins A, B6, B12, B1,B2, B3, and C.
https://www.omicsonline.org/finland/micronutrient-malnutrition-peer-reviewed-pdf-ppt-articles/

23. Deficiency of Essential Fatty Acids:
ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids
▪ Inflammatory disorders
▪ Skin disorders.
▪ Cardiovascular disorders
▪ Neurological disorders.
https://www.dermaviduals.com.au/what-my-skin-needs/essential-fatty-acid-deficiency/

24. Deficiency of Dietary Fibers
▪ Constipation
▪ Hemorrhoids
▪ Obesity
▪ Cardiovascular disease
▪ Diverticulitis
▪ Irritable bowel syndrome
▪ Colon cancer

25. CONSEQUENCE OF MALNUTRITION

26. Consequence of improper nutrition:
Malnutrition
Inflammation
Essential
nutrients
Deficiency

27. Malnutrition leads to chronic inflammation
Deficiency
Acute

28. Consequence of Chronic Inflammation:
Diseases of Modern Times
Essential
nutrients
chronic
Deficiency

29. Food as Medicine: from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Science

30. DISCOVERIES OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
BEGAN IN 18TH CENTURY
Essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, dietary fiber and phytochemicals

31. Minerals are essential nutrients for the human body:
Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)
▪ French scientist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)
discovered that the building blocks of proteins, fats,
carbohydrates consist of the elements carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen.
▪ His theories paved the way for future discoveries
about the building blocks of cells.
▪ All organisms are built from the same six essential
elemental ingredients: carbon (C), hydrogen (H),
oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur
(S).
Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)

32. Elements in the human body
25 out of 118 elements are known to be essential to life.
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1728-the-essential-elements

33. Discoveries of micronutrients from food sources:
9 amino acids & 13 vitamins

34. Discoveries of new nutrients from food sources:
2 essential fatty acids & Dietary fibers

35. Discoveries of phytonutrients from food sources:
There are > 5,000 phytochemicals
Total essential nutrients

36. PHYTOCHEMICALS

37. What are phytochemicals?
▪ “Phyto” is a Greek name for plants.
▪ “Chemicals” are compounds that
occur naturally in plants.
▪ There are about 5,000 phytochemicals.
▪ Only 150 have been studied in depth.
https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/phytochem

38. General classification of phytochemicals
There are > 5,000 phytochemicals

39. Classification of some major phytochemicals

40. Examples of some Phytochemicals
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Classification-of-dietary-phytochemicals-16_fig1_233999655
isothiocyantes

41. Biological functions of phytochemicals
▪ In plants:
▪ Antioxidants
▪ Hormones
▪ Protection from pathogens
▪ In human:
▪ Antioxidants
▪ Anti-inflammatory
▪ Immuno-modulatory
▪ Anticancer
▪ Anti-aging

42. Functions of phytochemicals in human
▪ Phytochemicals have not been shown to be essential nutrients.
▪ However, they have been shown to be beneficial for health by:
▪ Scavenging free radicals.
▪ Reducing inflammatory response
▪ Modulating cytokine release
▪ Reducing the risk of cancer
▪ Preventing telomeres from shortening
▪ Recent discovery of anti-viral property against SARS-CoV-2 by
hesperidin in Orange Juice.

43. CONSEQUENCE OF MALNUTRITION
• Chronic inflammation
• Lower life expectancy
• Death
•

44. Life Expectancy of the World Population (1995 to present)
countries ranked by life expectancy
https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/

45. Leading causes of death globally
▪ At a global level, 7 of the 10 leading causes
of deaths in 2019 were noncommunicable
diseases.
▪ These seven causes accounted for 44% of
all deaths or 80% of the top 10.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

46. 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2018
(per 100,000 population)*
https://www.statista.com/statistics/248622/rates-of-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-us/

47. WHAT SHOULD WE EAT IN ORDER TO
LIVE A LONG & HEALTHY LIFE?

48. USDA Food: My Plate
Dietary guidelines for Americans 2020-2025
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-programs-policies/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines

49. Evidence in support of risk reduction in disease by
fruit and vegetable

50. Evidence in support of vegetables and fruits in the
prevention of chronic diseases:
meta-analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419346/

51. Common question on phytochemicals
Can I take phytochemical supplements
to achieve optimal health?

52. Beware !
▪The sum of the parts is not equal to the whole.
▪Advice: eat whole foods for good health

53. Ancient Wisdom of using Food as Medicine

54. Summary
▪ Food as medicine is known more than 5,000 years ago.
▪ Ancient wisdom revealed that food is essential for life.
▪ However, the importance of essential nutrients is not
known until the early 1900s.
▪ The essential amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids and
dietary fibers are now established.
▪ The role of phytochemicals in the maintenance of good
health is now actively being pursued.

55. ANY QUESTION?
Please contact
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com