A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Potential of Millets for Managing and Reducing the Risk of Developing Diabetes Mellitus

Nanotechnology: an emerging field for enhancing micronutrient enrichment in millets via biofortification strategies-present knowledge and prospects for the future

Pharmaceutical supplementation and dietary fortification are the most common approaches to reducing vitamin deficits. To improve the health and nutritional value of crops, agronomic biofortification necessitates the direct application of nutrients. Producers using micronutrient fertilizers to increase the fortification of crops are essential to the success of biofortification. Overthrow malnutrition using biofortified millets notwithstanding their challenges. Millets stressors have been demonstrated to be reduced by artificial nanoparticles recently. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have had their properties and functions has been reported recently. Several genes that are involved in maintaining an equilibrium of iron and zinc are genetically regulated in millet with nanoparticle formulations, resulting in even greater nutrient-by-default and stress-resilience. Millet, according to the study, is a micronutrient powerhouse because priming controls cereal iron and zinc absorption and enrichment even in the face of nutritional deficiency. This review examines millet, its health advantages, nano fertilizers, and initiatives to improve the crop production.

Fermentation dynamics of millet beverages: Microbial interactions, nutritional enhancements, and health implications

Fermented millet beverages are gaining attention as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to traditional functional foods, combining the nutritional benefits of millets with the transformative effects of fermentation. This review explores the microbial dynamics, biochemical changes, and health benefits of these beverages. Fermentation boosts nutrient bioavailability, reduces anti-nutritional factors, and produces bioactive compounds like antioxidants and probiotics that support gut health, metabolism, and immunity. It also enhances the synthesis of vitamins, minerals, and peptides, offering potential benefits for managing chronic conditions. Key factors such as temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and substrate composition influence fermentation, with specific microorganisms enhancing both nutritional and sensory qualities. These beverages align with sustainability goals, as millets thrive in resource-limited environments, and their gluten-free nature caters to dietary needs, including those with celiac disease. The review highlights the cultural significance of millet beverages while advocating for their integration into modern health markets and commercial viability.

Role of millets in pre-diabetes and diabetes: effect of processing and product formulation

The incidence of pre-diabetes and diabetes has been increasing recently worldwide and considered as a major growing non-communicable disease. Millets are eco-friendly crops which could sustain extensive climatic conditions. The productivity of millets had increased in recent years to meet the nutritional needs of the increasing global population. The factors which affect the starch digestibility pattern in millets are protein, fat, resistant starch, dietary fibre, and anti-nutrients. However, the interplay of these components also affects the starch digestibility pattern in millets during various processing methods such as thermal, non-thermal, chemical, and their combination. The incorporation of native and processed millet in food products varies the in-vitro and in-vivo glycaemic index. The current study further discusses the potential applications of millet in food formulations for pre-diabetic and diabetic population. Hence the appropriately processed millets could be a suggested as a suitable dietary option for pre-diabetic and diabetic population.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.): from staple to superfood-a comprehensive review on nutritional, bioactive, industrial, and climate resilience potential

MAIN CONCLUSION

This review discusses the Finger millet's rich nutritional profile, bioactive potential, and industrial applications, combined with its climate resilience, which make it a promising crop for enhancing food security and promoting sustainable agriculture. This review also highlights its significant potential to address malnutrition and mitigate climate change impacts. The emergence of Finger millet from "poor man's staple food" to "a nutrient rich cereal" has encouraged the need to explore this crop at a wider scale. It is a highly significant crop due to its rich nutritional and bioactive profile, diverse biological activities, and promising industrial applications, along with the high climate resilience. This comprehensive review evaluates its nutritional composition by comparing favorably with other cereals and millets and emphasizing its potential to address malnutrition and enhance food security. Furthermore, it explores the phytochemical/bioactive potential and strategies to enhance their bioavailability followed biological activities of Finger millet by highlighting its various health-promoting properties. The review also discusses industrial potential of finger millet including its role in nutraceutical and functional food production, as well as bioenergy generation. In addition, role of Finger millet as a climate-resilient crop; specifically, the available genetic resources and identification of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with major stress tolerance traits have also been discussed. By providing a comprehensive synthesis of existing knowledge, this study offers valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders engaged in efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, enhance food and nutrition security, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Brown-top millet: an overview of breeding, genetic, and genomic resources development for crop improvement

MAIN CONCLUSION

Brown-top millet is a lesser-known millet with a high grain nutrient value, early maturation, and drought tolerance that needs basic research to understand and conserve food security. Brown-top millet [Urochloa ramosa (L.)] is currently cultivated in some developing countries (especially in India) for food and fodder, although it is less known among the small millets. Like other millets, it contains macro- and micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber, all of which have rich health benefits. The nutritional importance and health benefits of brown-top millet are still unknown to many people due to a lack of awareness, wide cultivation, and research. Hence, this millet is currently overshadowed by other major cereals. This review article aims to present the nutritional, breeding, genetic, and genomic resources of brown-top millet to inform millet and other plant researchers. It is important to note that genetic and genomic resources have not yet been created for this millet. To date, there are no genomic and transcriptomic resources for brown-top millet to develop single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and insertion/Deletions (InDels) for breeding studies. Furthermore, studies regarding nutritional significance and health benefits are required to investigate the exact nutritional contents and health benefits of the brown-top millet. The present review delves into the nutritional value and health advantages of brown-top millet, as supported by the available literature. The limitations of producing brown-top millet have been enumerated. We also cover the status of marker-assisted breeding and functional genomics research on closely related species. Lastly, we draw insights for further research such as developing omics resources and applying genome editing to study and improve brown-top millet. This review will help to start breeding and other molecular studies to increase the growth and development of this cereal.

Unlocking the Potential: Millets and Their Impact on Diabetes Management

Many studies, including case studies, meta-analyses, and randomized trials, have demonstrated the benefits of a low-carb diet in the management of obesity, diabetes, and pre-diabetes. Numerous studies suggest that diets low in carbohydrates are safe and can greatly enhance the management of both forms of diabetes as well as the general health of those who have the disease. When used in conjunction with effective therapy, this diet can result in weight loss, decreased prescription dosages, and in certain cases, remission from type 2 diabetes. Globally, there has been a notable surge in the prevalence of diabetes cases as a result of factors such as population growth, aging, urbanization, rising obesity rates, and declining physical activity. Diabetes can be controlled in large part by diet, and millets having low-glycemic index (GI) have become more significant as they release glucose into the bloodstream at a very slow rate. Creating a low-glycemic meal mix with locally sourced ingredients is crucial for daily diet plans. Dietary changes, particularly the addition of millet, can help prevent and manage diabetes mellitus. Eating practices have long been acknowledged for their important role in promoting health and wellness through the consumption of nutrient-dense meals. The health benefits of millet, an underappreciated food crop, are numerous and include low GI, high-fiber content, non-acid-forming potential, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and gluten-free status. Apart from staple crops like wheat and rice, millets are also very healthy and useful, and they have an immense amount of opportunity to aid in the global fight against food insecurity, which is a problem that many countries now confront. Millets are high on the list of recommended foods because of their many health advantages and antioxidant characteristics. Diets that are low in carbohydrates, low in GI, Mediterranean, and very low in calories are now popular. Diabetes can be managed with a nutritious diet, regular exercise, cessation of smoking, and maintenance of a healthy body weight. Furthermore, calorie restriction, the use of low-GI meals, and an increase in fiber content are all possible nutritional strategies in the management of diabetes.

Does consumption of pearl millet cause goiter? A systematic review of existing evidence

Millets (defined here to also include sorghum) have been consumed in Asian and African countries for centuries, and have in recent years become increasingly popular in Western countries, especially because of their proven health and environmental benefits. Nevertheless, some concerns have been raised that their consumption can interfere with thyroid function and cause goiter. This systematic review aimed to investigate the link between millet consumption and goiter. We found nine papers that were relevant to this topic and included them in this review. Among nine papers eight were on pearl millet and one was on fonio millet. The findings of the review indicate that published literature on the association of pearl millet and increased goiter prevalence are not compelling and strong enough to assert that pearl millet consumed as part of a balanced diet can lead to goiter in the general population. To ensure appropriate factual messaging about millets, we need more scientific research to conclusively state whether millet consumption mediates goitrogenic effects.

Managing Diabetes Mellitus With Millets: A New Solution

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and the disease's prevalence is increasing with each passing day. DM can be prevented and controlled with modifications to the diet, especially by incorporating millet in the diet. Throughout history, eating habits have been recognized for their significant contribution to promoting health and wellness by eating foods rich in nutrients. Millet is an underutilized food crop with many benefits for health, with the most beneficial being low glycemic index, high fiber content, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), non-acid-forming potential, and gluten-free. In addition to staple food crops, such as wheat, rice, and foxtail millet, millets are still highly nutritious and beneficial and have great potential to help the world combat the food insecurity many countries face today. Millets are in the top positions of recommended dietary charts with their numerous health benefits and antioxidant properties.

Steamed Multigrain Bread Prepared from Dough Fermented with Lactic Acid Bacteria and Its Effect on Type 2 Diabetes

Multigrain products can prevent the occurrence of chronic noninfectious diseases such as hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. In this study, multigrain dough fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was used for the preparation of good-quality steamed multigrain bread, and its effects on type 2 diabetes were investigated. The results showed that the multigrain dough fermented with LAB significantly enhanced the specific volume, texture, and nutritional value of the steamed bread. The steamed multigrain bread had a low glycemic index and was found to increase liver glycogen and reduce triglyceride and insulin levels, while improving oral glucose tolerance and blood lipid levels in diabetic mice. The steamed multigrain bread made from dough fermented with LAB had comparable effects on type 2 diabetes to steamed multigrain bread prepared from dough fermented without LAB. In conclusion, multigrain dough fermentation with LAB improved the quality of the steamed bread while preserving its original efficacy. These findings provide a novel approach to the production of functional commercial foods.

Exploring the underutilized novel foods and starches for formulation of low glycemic therapeutic foods: a review

Rising incidences of life-style disorders like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are a matter of concern coupled with escalated consumption of highly refined and high energy foods with low nutrient density. Food choices of consumers have witnessed significant changes globally with rising preference to highly processed palatable foods. Thus, it calls food scientists, researchers and nutritionists' attention towards developing and promoting pleasant-tasting yet healthy foods with added nutritional benefits. This review highlights selected underutilized and novel ingredients from different food sources and their by-products that are gaining popularity because of their nutrient density, that can be employed to improve the nutritional quality of conventionally available empty-calorie foods. It also emphasizes on the therapeutic benefits of foods developed from these understudied grains, nuts, processing by-products of grains, fruits- and vegetable-byproducts and nutraceutical starches. This review aims to draw attention of food scientists and industrialists towards popularizing the utilization of these unconventional, yet nutrient rich foods sources in improving the nutritional profile of the conventional foods lacking in nutrient density.

Health-Promoting Potential of Millet: A Review

Being a key source of animal food, millet production has been sharply increasing over the last few years in order to cope with the dietary requirements of the ever-increasing world population. It is a splendid source of essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins, and also some other bioactive compounds that eventually help through multiple biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-cholesterol, anti-hypertensive, anthropometric effects and regulation of gut microbiota composition. These bioactive compounds, nutrients, and functions of cereal grains can be affected by processing techniques such as decortication, soaking, malting, milling, fermentation, etc. This study discusses the nutritional and functional properties of millet-incorporated foods and their impact on health, based on around 150 articles between 2015 and 2022 from the Web of Science, Google Scholar, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Breeding Bid Survey (BBS), and FoodData Central (USDA) databases. Analyzing literature reviews, it is evident that the incorporation of millet and its constituents into foodstuffs could be useful against undernourishment and several other health diseases. Additionally, this review provides crucial information about the beneficial features of millet, which can serve as a benchmark of guidelines for industry, consumers, researchers, and nutritionists.

Evaluating the Contribution of Complex International Research-for-Development Programmes to the Sustainable Development Goals

While evaluation of research-to-policy projects is a fundamental aspect of measuring the impact of new knowledge, limited studies have examined evaluation methods in such projects, as well as how the evaluation can generate learning to facilitate the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study conducted a systematic literature review and found that the most commonly used methods for SDG contribution evaluation were Analytical Hierarchy Process (40.4%), Fuzzy TOPSIS (13.2%) and ELECTRE and SPADE Methodology (3.5% each). Ranking analysis was undertaken to determine priorities among the six "Big Wins" as defined for the UKRI-GCRF Trade Hub Project, as a case, where the ranking was exercised by the project partners across the globe. Results revealed that "nature and social factors" was better considered in international trade agreements as the priority (36.4%) among others. Moreover, among the four "mechanisms" of the project, "knowledge, networks, and connectivity" was ranked as the top priority (56.9%), followed by "capacity building" (28.5%), "metrics, tools and models" (7.2%), and "improving the knowledge base" (4.6%). Mapping and evaluation revealed that the Big Wins of the Trade Hub contributed to ten out of the 17 SDGs. The most fulfilled goals were SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) in descending order. Furthermore, interaction analysis of the core SDGs revealed both synergy and tradeoff between different outputs. The research articles reviewed for this paper showed no gold standard framework for assessing international development projects against the SDGs. Further research should develop a tool to capture holistic and synergistic contributions of the target outcomes of projects to sustainable development.

Multigrain porridge possesses superior nutritional quality, its consumption alleviates hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress in obese-diabetic wistar rats

There is an increased utilization of wholegrain cereals in food formulations considering their richness in essential nutritional and biological properties. In this study, each component (amaranth, acha and pearl millet) of the multigrain blend was individually pre-fermented. Thereafter, the pre-fermented grain flours were optimized to obtain two unique blends (90:5:5 and 47.98: 26.68:25.34) containing high protein content (~23% and 17%) and low glycemic index (~43). The optimum blends were processed into instant porridges (PR1, PR2) and analyzed for its nutritional composition, blood glucose lowering ability, antioxidant enzyme and tissue/serum biochemical makers modulatory ability in obese-diabetic animals. The porridge showed significant nutritional profile, consumption of formulated multigrain porridge reduced blood glucose level (by 62% and 66%), upregulated the antioxidant defense system to near normal levels likewise, significantly reduced serum biochemical parameters. Thus, suggests that the multigrain blends/porridge is nutrient-dense possessing beneficial effect to maintain antioxidant levels in the diabetic condition with potential to attenuate oxidative damage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Prolonged feeding with high-fat diet induces hypercholesterolemia in experimental animals. Further interperitoneal injection of streptozotocin induces experimental diabetes with a cascade of oxidative stress related complications in serum and tissue parameters. Porridge is a traditional meal while multigrain porridge is a nutrient dense meal which may exert curative effect. In this work, it was shown that dietary intervention with multigrain porridge product promoted positive weight control, portrayed hepatoprotective effect as shown by the elevated levels of biomarker (ALT, AST, ALP) and antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD, GPx) as well as modulation of serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol). Thus, the multigrain porridge may be a functional food product to combat hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia especially PR1 which appeared to be more efficient than PR2 in modulating oxidative stress, conferring hypoglycemic effect and lowering lipid levels in obese-diabetic rats model studied.

Sustainable plant-based ingredients as wheat flour substitutes in bread making

Bread as a staple food has been predominantly prepared from refined wheat flour. The world's demand for food is rising with increased bread consumption in developing countries where climate conditions are unsuitable for wheat cultivation. This reliance on wheat increases the vulnerability to wheat supply shocks caused by force majeure or man-made events, in addition to negative environmental and health consequences. In this review, we discuss the contribution to the sustainability of food systems by partially replacing wheat flour with various types of plant ingredients in bread making, also known as composite bread. The sustainable sources of non-wheat flours, their example use in bread making and potential health and nutritional benefits are summarized. Non-wheat flours pose techno-functional challenges due to significantly different properties of their proteins compared to wheat gluten, and they often contain off-favor compounds that altogether limit the consumer acceptability of final bread products. Therefore, we detail recent advances in processing strategies to improve the sensory and nutritional profiles of composite bread. A special focus is laid on fermentation, for its accessibility and versatility to apply to different ingredients and scenarios. Finally, we outline research needs that require the synergism between sustainability science, human nutrition, microbiomics and food science.

Are Millets More Effective in Managing Hyperlipidaemia and Obesity than Major Cereal Staples? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Millets are important staples across developing countries in Asia and Africa. A previous systematic review and meta-analysis showed that eating millets significantly controlled hyperlipidaemia and obesity by focusing on a comparison of pre- and post-intervention measurements. This study further provides meta-analysis of the effects of the consumption of millets on hyperlipidaemia and obesity by analysing millets against other staple grains using the difference-in-differences method, where the effects were computed on the Standardised Mean Difference scale. Thus, only studies that included a control group as well as the baseline were included. The results from twelve eligible studies on blood lipid profile show significant (p < 0.05) favourable effects of consuming millets compared to other staples (rice, wheat, and quinoa). Specifically, the effects on total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were −0.44, −0.29, and −0.41, respectively (p < 0.05), while the effect on the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was +0.59 (p < 0.05). In addition, the effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the body mass index were −0.60 and −0.29, respectively, with p = 0.06 each. While this study strengthens the evidence that the consumption of millets contributes to reducing the risks of hyperlipidaemia, and therefore cardiovascular diseases, more detailed and rigorous studies are recommended.

Anti-Hyperlipidemia, Hypoglycemic, and Hepatoprotective Impacts of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) Grains and Their Ethanol Extract on Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study tested the anti-hyperlipidemic, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects of whole pearl millet grain powder (MPG) and its ethanol extract (MPGethaolE) in obese rats fed a high-fat diet. The rats were divided into eight groups based on the treatments they received: control, high fat diet (HFD), HFD + MGE (25 mg/Kg), HFD + MPGethaolE (50 mg/Kg), HFD + MPGethaolE (100 mg/Kg), HFD + MPG (10%), HFD + MPG (20%), and HFD + MPG (30%). The final body weight, visceral, epididymal fat pads, and the liver weight were significantly decreased, in a dose-dependent manner, in HFD fed rats that were co-administered either the MPG powder or MPGethaolE. In the same line, serum levels of triglycerides (TGs), cholesterol (CHOL), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), as well as fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and serum levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), interleukine-6 (IL-6), interleukine-10 (IL-10), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and adiponectin were progressively decreased while serum levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL-c) were significantly increased when increasing the doses of both treatments. In conclusion, both the raw powder and ethanolic extract of MP have a comparative dose-dependent anti-obesity, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-steatotic in HFD-fed rats.

Insights of Nutritional and Anti-nutritional Retention in Traditionally Processed Millets

Millets are nutritionally superior indigenous staple crops packed with high protein, vitamins, and minerals. However, anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, tannins, and polyphenols present in the millets tend to reduce the bio-accessibility of minerals (iron and zinc), due to which the millet diets are greatly compromised. Although most of the cereals, such as wheat flour, brown rice, and barley, contain phytic acid to a level far more than that of the millets, it is important to develop feasible household methods to reduce the level of phytic acid so as to enhance nutrient absorption. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of traditional processing on nutrient and anti-nutrient retention of three majorly consumed millets, namely, sorghum, finger millet, and pearl millet. These millets were traditionally cooked and then fermented overnight with water and curd. The results show that this type of simple, traditional household-level process significantly reduced the phytic acid content by 62.9% in sorghum, 34.1% in finger millet, and 29.35% in pearl millet. There is a considerable decrease in phytic acid–zinc molar ratio by 71.38, 61.15, and 33.47% and in phytic acid–iron molar ratio by 73.52, 48.07, and 66.39% in sorghum, finger millet, and pearl millet, respectively. Among the macronutrients, the protein and ash contents were significantly increased. A high retention of water-soluble vitamins was observed in the processed millets. Overall, the traditionally cooked millet, fermented overnight and then added with curd, enhanced many essential macro- and micronutrients and concurrently reduced phytic acid, thus forming a sustainably simple household method for improving dietary nutrients.

Can Feeding a Millet-Based Diet Improve the Growth of Children?-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Undernutrition, such as stunting and underweight, is a major public health concern, which requires multi-sectoral attention. Diet plays a key role in growth and should optimally supply all required nutrients to support the growth. While millets (defined broadly to include sorghum) are traditional foods, and climate smart nutritious crops, which are grown across Africa and Asia, they have not been mainstreamed like rice, wheat, and maize. Diversifying staples with millets can potentially provide more macro and micro nutrients, compared to the mainstream crops. However, there is little known scientific evidence to prove millets’ efficacy on growth. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to collate evidence of the benefits of millets in improving the growth of children. Eight eligible randomized feeding trials were included in the meta-analysis. Results from the randomized effect model showed a significant effect (p < 0.05) of millet-based diets on mean height (+28.2%) (n = 8), weight (n = 9) (+26%), mid upper arm circumference (n = 5) (+39%) and chest circumference (n = 5) (+37%) in comparison to regular rice-based diets over for the period of 3 months to 4.5 years, which was based on largely substituting rice with millets. When an enhanced and diverse diet was served, replacing rice with millet had only minimal growth improvement on chest circumference (p < 0.05). The quality assessment using GRADE shows that the evidence used for this systematic review and meta-analysis had moderate quality, based on eight scoring criteria. These results demonstrate the value of adding millet as the staple for undernourished communities. Further understanding of the efficacy of millets on growth in a wider range of diets is important to develop appropriate dietary programs and improve the nutritional status of various age groups across Africa and Asia.

'Old Is Gold': How Traditional Indian Dietary Practices Can Support Pediatric Diabetes Management

Nutrition is crucial for maintaining normal growth, development, and glycemic control in young people with diabetes (PwD). Undue restrictions cause nutrient deficiencies as well as poor adherence to meal plans. Widespread availability of low-cost, ultra-processed, and hyperpalatable food is further damaging. Most families struggle to find ways to provide nutritious, yet attractive, food with a low glycemic index (GI). India is one of the oldest continuous civilizations with a rich and diverse cultural and culinary heritage. Traditional dietary practices, including the centuries-old 'Thali' (meaning plate) concept, emphasize combinations (grains, lentils, vegetables, dairy, spices, prebiotics and probiotics, and fats) of local, seasonal, and predominantly plant-based ingredients. These practices ensure that all of the necessary food groups are provided and fit well with current evidence-based recommendations, including the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) 2018 Guidelines. Techniques for the preparation, cooking, and preservation of food further impact the GI and nutrient availability. These practices benefit nutrient density, diet diversity, and palatability and thus improve adherence to meal plans and glycemic control. This narrative review describes the ancient wisdom, food composition, and culinary practices from across India which are still valuable today. These may be of benefit worldwide to improve glycemic control as well as quality of life, especially in PwD.

Omics Technologies to Enhance Plant Based Functional Foods: An Overview

Functional foods are natural products of plants that have health benefits beyond necessary nutrition. Functional foods are abundant in fruits, vegetables, spices, beverages and some are found in cereals, millets, pulses and oilseeds. Efforts to identify functional foods in our diet and their beneficial aspects are limited to few crops. Advances in sequencing and availability of different omics technologies have given opportunity to utilize these tools to enhance the functional components of the foods, thus ensuring the nutritional security. Integrated omics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics coupled with artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches can be used to improve the crops. This review provides insights into omics studies that are carried out to find the active components and crop improvement by enhancing the functional compounds in different plants including cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, spices, beverages and medicinal plants. There is a need to characterize functional foods that are being used in traditional medicines, as well as utilization of this knowledge to improve the staple foods in order to tackle malnutrition and hunger more effectively.

Can Millet Consumption Help Manage Hyperlipidemia and Obesity?: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Many health benefits of millets (defined broadly to also include sorghum) have been advocated, including their roles in managing and preventing diabetes; however, the effects of millets on hyperlipidemia (high lipid levels) have been underrecognized. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to collate available evidence of the impacts of millets consumption on lipid profile, namely total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very-low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). The results from 19 studies showed that the consumption of millets for periods as short as 21 days to 4 months reduced levels of TC, triacylglycerol, LDL-C, and VLDL-C (p<0.01) by 8.0, 9.5, 10 and 9.0%, respectively. Four studies demonstrated that millets consumption brought TC and triacylglycerol levels to the normal levels (<200 and <150 mg/dl, respectively). Furthermore, upon consumption of millet-based meals, there was a 6.0% increase in the HDL-C 4.0 and 5.0% reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and 7.0% reduction in body mass index (BMI). This evidence, leads us to conclude that consumption of millets reduces hyperlipidemia and hence hypertension, and raises the levels of HDL-C (good cholesterol), which can be beneficial for managing the associated risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in future.

Systematic Review Registration: The protocol of this systematic review has been registered in the online registration platform called “research registry” with the unique identification number “reviewregistry1123.”

Assessing Millets and Sorghum Consumption Behavior in Urban India: A Large-Scale Survey

There is growing attention by governments and industry in regard to the role played by millets (including sorghum) to help build resilience for farmers and cope with climate change, malnutrition, diabetes, and some other major issues. To understand public knowledge and practices of consuming millets in urban areas, a survey was conducted with 15,522 individuals from seven major cities of India using a structured questionnaire, and after data cleaning 15,139 observations were subjected to analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that the largest group among early adopters of millets were people with health problems (28%), it being the single largest reason for consuming millets, followed by those wanting to lose weight (15%) and those selecting millets for its taste (14%). There was a significant gap between people who were health conscious (91%) and those who were sure millets were healthy (40%). The major reason the respondents did not eat more millets was that it was not eaten at home (40%), followed by reactions such as not liking the taste (22%). Reaching the urban consumers through social media is recommended, given that it is their main source of information. There was no statistically significant relationship between state-wise per capita production and frequency of consumption of millets in the urban areas (p = 0.236). In conclusion, three key actions are recommended to enhance the consumption of millets: developing delicious products to satisfy the taste, providing knowledge on nutritional and health facts on millets, and improving accessibility of millets in urban markets.