TABLE 1.
Common food items and their major bioactive compounds responsible for human immunity.
| Common food items | Bioactive compound | Mechanism | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | – | Reflux of toxins in various forms | Arshad et al. (2020) and Moeller et al. (2013) |
| Citrus fruits (Citrus spp.) | Vitamin C | Helps the epithelial barrier function, and boost the development of lymphocytes and phagocytes | Boretti and Banik (2020) |
| Naringin | Anti‐inflammatory | Cheng et al. (2020) | |
| Papaya (Carica papaya L.) | β‐carotene | Antioxidant, precursor of vitamin A, promotes lymphocyte and T‐cell proliferation | Farhan Aslam et al. (2017) |
| Mushrooms | Selenium | Antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory | Hoffmann and Berry (2008) |
| Vitamin B6 | Communication between cytokines and chemokines | Kunisawa and Kiyono (2013) | |
| β‐d‐glucan | Helps in the functioning of NK cells, T cells, macrophages, and B cells | Guo et al. (2012) and Lull et al. (2005) | |
| Almonds (Prunus amygdalus L.) | Vitamin E | Antioxidant, T‐cell development | Chen et al. (2006) |
| Kiwi (Actinidiaceae spp. L.) | Vitamin C and polyphenols | Anti‐inflammatory | Baranowska‐Wójcik and Szwajgier (2019) |
| Aonla (Indian Gooseberry) (Phyllanthus emblica L.) | Vitamin C and Ellagic acid | Antioxidant | Kulkarni and Ghurghure (2018) |
| Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) | Ellagitannins | Inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation | Heber (2011) |
| Punicalagin | Nuclear factor activation in activated T lymphocytes | Li et al. (2015) | |
| Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) | Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) | Boosts the synthesis of immunoregulatory cytokines | Sultan et al. (2014) |
| L‐theanine | Help in the generation of germ‐fighting chemicals in T cells | Chowdhury and Barooah (2020) | |
| Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) | Sulforaphane (SFN) | Anti‐inflammatory and anticancer activities | Bessler and Djaldetti (2018) |
| Ginger (Zingiber officinale L.) | Gingerol | Antioxidant, analgesic, and anti‐inflammatory | Mashadi et al. (2013) |
| Garlic (Allium sativum L.) | Sulfoxide alliin, diallyl sulfide (DAS) | Stimulates natural killer cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and eosinophils | Jiang (2019) |
| Onion (Allium cepa L.) | Diallyl sulfide, 146.2 Da; diallyl sulfoxide, 130.2 Da | Antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic antithrombotic, antihyperglycemic, prebiotic character, and immunosuppressive properties | Corzo‐martínez and Villamiel (2012) and Marefati et al. (2021) |
| Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) | Curcumin | Modulates the function of immune cells like B cells, macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells, and neutrophils | Srivastava et al. (2011) |
| Milk | Immunoglobulins IgA and IgG | Antibody synthesis, lymphocyte proliferation, and regulation of cytokines | Park and Nam (2015) |
| α and β‐casein | Improve lymphocyte function | Marcone et al. (2017) | |
| Egg | Phosvitin and ovotransferrin | Prevent the oxidation of lipids by metal chelation and free radicals scavenging | Jung et al. (2012) |