Since ancient times in the Mediterranean, the fruit of the olive tree and its oil have been consumed for food and used for cosmetic purposes. The people of the region soon discovered that olives were not only delicious, but also healthy. When olive oil and the extract from its leaves were examined scientifically, a surprising number of useful compounds were isolated. Olive leaves have been shown to contain around 100 valuable components including high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, and to be an important source of polyphenols, squalene, beta-carotene and vitamin E. It is particularly rich in polyphenols with an antioxidant effect, especially oleuropein, which is the best known and one of the most effective of these. Oleuropein is a very bitter tasting polyphenol and a strong antioxidant. Its anti-inflammatory, antiviral and immune-modulating properties are currently the subject of intensive research. Olive leaf extract has 4 times more antioxidant power than vitamin C.
(Whale KW, et al., Olive oil and modulation of cell signaling in disease prevention, Lipids 2004 Dec;39 (12): 123-31).

Thanks to this, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has officially declared the health claim for the antioxidant effect of olive polyphenols under number 1696.

The legendary mushroom of China and the Far East is the reishi mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum. In China, the mushroom has been known and used for its medicinal properties for almost 2,000 years. There are many scientifically supported accounts of its use in traditional Chinese medicine. In recent decades, the reishi mushroom has again become the focus of attention and research.

Its usefulness for medicinal purposes has been confirmed by studies of the mushroom’s content as it has more than 150 triterpenes and more than 50 polysaccharides – Lelley, 1991. In China, it is an important part of the remedial spectrum of the health insurance system and, in the US, the otherwise strict Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of reishi mushrooms and included them on the list of dietary supplements that can be marketed.

Understanding the substances responsible for biological effects only began in the 1960s, but has been ongoing at an accelerated pace since then. A very large body of scientific work on the detection of biologically active substances suggests that the mushroom and its spores contain a number of groups of active substances that can be described: polysaccharides, nucleotides, amino acids, proteins and terpenoids – Hobbs, 1995. One of the greatest benefits of the mushroom, as can be inferred from the above, is its effect on the immune system, which can directly or indirectly affect the whole body. As a result, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has included in its list under number 3764 the health claim for the mushroom’s effect on the immune system, which currently has on-hold status.

Beta-glucans are polysaccharoids composed of glucose polymers in the cell walls of bacteria, plants and fungi. Beta glucans used to be found naturally in our food and provided a continuous and natural stimulation of the immune system. With the gradual spread of hyper-hygienic food chains and fungicides, these natural immune stimulants are no longer entering people’s bodies. At the same time, we are exposed to a number of effects that diminish immune function. These include environmental toxins, heavy metals, immunosuppressive drugs, and continuous stress, the overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the most common source of molecules having branches at the 1-3 and 1-6 carbon atoms. A special process is used for extraction of a quality that preserves the beneficial physiological effects. In the 1970s and 1980s, intensive research was launched to find out the mechanism of action of the effects observed in the regulation of the immune system. As a result of these studies, we know that yeast beta-glucans (beta- 1,3/1,6 glucan) are absorbed through Peyer’s patches in the small intestine, then engulfed and processed by macrophages (a type of white blood cell), which can lead to an increase in the activation levels of the cellular elements of the immune system.

Humic acids are formed by the decomposition of plants over thousands of years, a process known as humification. Humic acids contain about 70 different minerals (one of the most important being iron) with which they can form complexes. These complexes are called humic colloids and are special in that the microelements bound in this way can be considered organic macromolecules. Minerals and microelements in the organic form thus created are far more readily utilised by the body, where they perform multiple functions.

Another major benefit of humic acids is their ability, through their chelating properties, to bind toxic heavy metals (cadmium, cobalt, lead) that have entered the body. Due to this, fulvic acids are considered useful ingredients in medicinal products and foods. <sup>1

1</sup> Noemí Cárdenas Rodríguez et al., Antioxidant activity of fulvic acid: A living matter-derived bioactive compound Food, Agriculture and Environment 2011, Vol. 9, Issue 3&4, pages 123-127.)

Curcuma longa is an Indian spice plant, the root stem of which is ground to produce turmeric, the spice that imparts a yellow colour to Indian food. Also known as saffron of India or saffron of the poor, this flavouring has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine due to its anti-inflammatory properties. The spice extract itself is a mixture of the three curcuminoids (curcumin: 77%, demetoxicurcumin: 18%, bisdemetoxicurcumin: 5%), essential oils, proteins, sugars and resins. Curcumin is the primary active ingredient in the mixture. Curcumin, which has been used in traditional Indian medicine for thousands of years, has also been recognised in modern medicine as a potential active pharmaceutical ingredient. Curcumin has a broad spectrum of applications due to its ability to interact with numerous molecular targets involved in the inflammatory process. Based on all these data, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has included in its list under number 2030 the health claim for the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effect of curcumin, which currently has on-hold status. ^{EFSA 2030}

Fructo-oligosaccharides are oligosaccharides made up of fructose monomers, which are most abundant in nature as polymers in the form of inulin. Inulin is a common polysaccharide in the plant kingdom. Inulin is neither absorbed in the human digestive tract nor is it broken down due to the absence of the appropriate inulinase enzyme. This makes it a dietary fibre in the human diet, but the bacteria in the large intestine are able to break down inulin.

On reaching the large intestine, fructo-oligosaccharides serve as a source of carbon and nutrients for the bifidobacteria present there, and are converted into lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, butyrate) and gas similarly to other dietary fibres. ¹ Over recent years, a large amount of research has been carried out to map and understand the nutritional effects of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides accurately. ^{2, 3}

¹ Bornet és mtsai., 2002
² Halmos, T., Suba, I. [Physiological patterns of intestinal microbiota. The role of dysbacteriosis in obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome]. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(1), 13–22.
³ Rao, 2001; Roberfroid, 2000, 2002; Biedrzycka és Bielecka, 2004;

Vitamin C was named ‘ascorbic’ acid as this means anti-scurvy, against the disease which develops due to a deficiency of it. Perhaps one of the best known Hungarian scientific discoveries is vitamin C, which is known to contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolic processes, normal immune function and the protection of cells against oxidative stress, which it also supports by aiding the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E. Vitamin C also contributes to normal collagen formation, which helps to maintain the normal condition and functioning of blood vessels, skin, bones, cartilage, teeth and gums. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron, contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system, maintains normal psychological function and reduces fatigue. ^EFSA

We can thank the American biochemist Elmer McCollum for the discovery of vitamin D. His research focused on the influence of diet on health. As a result of his research, the effect of vitamin D on the bone has been known since the 1920s. However, in recent years it has been demonstrated that its role in the body is far more complex. Activated vitamin D is in fact a steroid hormone whose receptor can be detected in almost all cell types and it has a proven role in regulating the transcription of over 200 genes.

Surprisingly, insufficiency of vitamin D is one of the most common deficiency states in the developed world. Growing evidence suggests that a very high proportion (over 54%) of the population has relative hypovitaminosis D that does not yet cause osteomalacia. ^1,2 Surprisingly, hormone deficiency is widespread not only among the elderly in care, but also among the population as a whole, both in Hungary and around the world. ³

Vitamin D levels decrease with age and this decline is inversely related to bone mineral content and the degree of bone resorption. ⁴ If this occurs, calcium absorption is reduced and the rate of bone remodelling accelerates, leading to bone loss. An increasing number of studies demonstrate the benefits of vitamin D supplementation and treatment outside the skeletal system as well. It has now been shown to contribute to the normal functioning of the immune system and to play a role in cell division. ^EFSA

¹ Chapuy MC, Preziosi P, Maamer M, et al: Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in an adult normal population. Osteoporosis Int 1997; 7:439-443.
² Gloth FM, Gundberg CM, Hollis BW, et al: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a cohort of homebound elderly subject compared to a normative matched population in the United States. JAMA, 1995; 274:1683-1686.
³ Fischer M, Lakatos P. A D-vitamin ellátottság vizsgálata 65 év feletti idősek körében. Ca és Csont 2000; 3:22-24.
⁴ Orwoll ES, Meier DE. Alteration in calcium, vitamin D, and parathyreoid hormone physiology in normal men with aging: relationship to the development of senile osteopenia. J Clin Endocrinol 1986; 63:1262-1269.