Drinking juice prepared with tamarind flour promoted a 24% dip in the triglyceride levels of volunteers. This is a finding from a study that evaluated the impacts of the use of the fruit to control biochemical disturbances associated with diabetes. The survey was carried out by Embrapa and Ceará State University (UECE). Triglycerides are a type of fat present in the blood that increases the risk of heart diseases and other health problems when it is present in high amounts, especially when the level of cholesterol is also high. Consuming tamarind also promoted a light decrease in volunteers' total cholesterol, body mass index and waist circumference. The study also pointed that the product has a low glycemic index (GI). Such indicator shows how quickly an ingested food increases glycemia (glucose in the blood). The experiment involved 164 adult and elderly patients with diabetes, which present from adequate weight to light obesity. Out of the total participants, 82 patients had had controlled glycemia, and the remainder, high glycemia. For four weeks, half of the volunteers consumed the juice prepared with tamarind flour and the other ingested a placebo. Potential to help in disease control The intervention comprised five meetings. At every meeting, the volunteers received envelopes with dehydrated tamarind to use throughout the week. The patients went through exams and consultations to determine their glycemic and lipid profile, check their food intake and perform an anthropometric assessment (measurements of weight, height, and waist and hip circumference). The results made the scientists enthusiastic. The team believes that the product can be used as an adjuvant for the control of the lipid profile of individuals with diabetes. The researcher Ana Paula Dionísio, from Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry, clarified that the study with functional foods aims at the development of new products that promote benefits to consumers' health. “This kind of result allows us to encourage the population to consume more fruit. Thus their production is also encouraged”, adds the researcher Nedio Jair Wurlitzer, from the same Embrapa research center. The study was funded by Embrapa and the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Interesting specific effect on triglycerides The nutritionist Tatiana Uchôa Passos, responsible for the research stage with the patients at the Integrated Diabetes and Hypertension Center (CIDH), states that none of drugs distributed by the public health system in Brazil presents specific action on blood triacylglycerol (triglyceride). According to her, the medicine works on the lipid profile as a whole, especially on total cholesterol. “Observing this aspect, the use of the tamarind flour would be even more interesting for those patients whose lipid disturbance is restricted to triglycerides”, concludes the nutritionist, who developed a PhD thesis on the research. For Tatiana Uchôa, the other variables investigated require further assessment. “The innovation proposed by this project and the statistical significance concerning triglycerides that was found made us very pleased with the results and instigated us to continue the studies in the future”, she reports. The nutritionist also underscores that it is necessary to have healthy dietary habits so that when one consumes foods with phytotherapeutical or functional activity, they can indeed be used to their best advantage. “Phytotherapy shows even more evident results when associated with an individualized healthy eating plan”, she affirms. Reducing fruit acidity A disadvantage of tamarind is its high acidity, which causes certain consumer groups to reject it. To increase the acceptance of the fruit's byproducts, Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry has been working on the development of a tamarind juice with partially neutralized acidity. “Tamarind is very acid, and many people reject it or excessively dilute the juice”, says the researcher Ana Paula Dionísio. The researchers are also testing partially neutralized tamarind to check whether it would maintain its beneficial properties. These tests are being conducted in partnership with the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). Meanwhile, the team of Embrapa's Multiuser Laboratory of Chemistry of Natural Products has chemically evaluated the products to investigate which components are responsible for the beneficial health effects. “If we identify that polyphenols work with fiber for effects on health, we will have the opportunity to concentrate such components and use them in a new product”, Nedio Wurlitzer explains. Functional foods The development of tamarind flour and the assessment of its effects on patients with diabetes are part of a line of research on functional foods developed at Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry. Generally speaking, the research, development and innovation effort in the studies with functional foods start with the identification and characterization of new bioactive components that can be applied in foods and dietary supplements. Research has evolved towards the use of such raw materials in the development of proven functional products, with differentiated, versatile formulas that are suited to consumer needs. Researchers have observed how processing and the stabilization of bioactive components for the production of industrial inputs or end products can extend the desirable effects of such ingredients. When necessary, toxicity, pre-clinical and clinical trials involving cells, animals and, lastly, consumer groups are held to evaluate and prove beneficial effects to human health. Translation: Mariana Medeiros