Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most critical metabolic disorder of the 21st century. The incidence of T2D continues to increase, and based on projected trends, more than 590 million patients will be diagnosed by 2035. Adopting a healthy diet is fundamental to reducing the risk of developing diabetes and its complications. For instance, including functional foods in our diet may play an essential role in preventing T2D due to the content of bioactive compounds (BCs), such as phenolic compounds, or bioactive ingredients (BIs), such as dietary fibers. However, their bioavailability and bio-efficacy could depend, among other factors, on their occurrence as complexes with other substances in foods, the food matrix, and the presence of components like proteins, starches, and fibers, which modify their absorption.

Interactions between food components and BCs or BIs can amplify or hinder the health benefits of consuming functional foods. However, this is a poorly studied subject. Therefore, the present research topic attempts to fill knowledge gaps by examining how foods, food components, and BIs/BCs interact, and how the extent of such interactions can help promote the development of functional foods, particularly for the prevention of T2D pathophysiology. The central theme will focus on:

1. The modifications to bioactive compounds (BCs) profile throughout the whole life cycle of functional foods (e.g., interactions within the food matrix, effects of processing, shelf-life studies).
2. The fate and behavior of BCs/BIs once ingested (e.g., interaction with food components, interaction with enzymes, modulation of the microbiome, changes in bioaccessibility, bioactivity).
3. The modulation of anti-diabetic properties (e.g., inhibition of α-amylases or DPP-4 enzyme, activation of bitter receptors).

For this research topic, we invite original research and review articles that take an interdisciplinary approach (including food science, nutrition, molecular biology, and biochemistry) and address one or more of the following areas:

o The interaction between food components and bioactive ingredients or bioactive compounds (BIs/BCs), particularly in relation to the prevention of type 2 diabetes pathophysiology.
o The anti-diabetic properties of functional foods, especially considering digestion processes such as simulated digestion.
o The role of individual food components (e.g., specific proteins), even outside the context of complete food products.
o The bioaccessibility and health effects of bioactive compounds, including their anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity properties.

Keywords: Functional foods, type 2 diabetes, bioactive compounds, dietary fibers, polyphenols, bioactive peptides, hypoglycemia, bioavailability

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.