Functional foods for human health benefits: focus on lupin

In the last decades, numerous studies have reported the beneficial effects of soy proteins and in 1999, the America Food and Drug Administration has approved the health claim that soy protein is useful to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, since it is able to control the serum cholesterol level. Subsequently, nutritionists have now a main interest in soy and other legume proteins not only for their nutritional role, but also for the positive effects that they may exert on the human body, including hypotensive, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-obesity activities. Numerous teams around the world have started to investigate the health benefits deriving from the consumption of different legumes, such as lupin, chickpea, common bean, faba bean, pea, lentils, etc. In this scenario, lupin is a very special case, since its seed contain up to 35-40% protein as in the case of soybean, but are completely devoid of isoflavones1. Nowadays, four Mediterranean species of lupin are cultivated, i.e. Lupinus albus, L. angustifolius, L. luteus and L. mutabilis. Numerous teams have studied the biological activities of lupin proteins and investigated the possible health benefits derived from their consumption. In particular, studies have evaluated either in animal model (rats) or in clinical study the hypocholesterolemic, hypoglycemic and anti-hypertensive effect of lupin. Another study has shown, in a rabbit model, a protective activity of lupin protein against atherosclerosis progression. In parallel, the mechanism of action at molecular level is under investigation.