molecules Review Naturally Lignan-Rich Foods: A Dietary Tool for Health Promotion? Carmen Rodríguez-García 1,2 , Cristina Sánchez-Quesada 1,2,3 , Estefanía Toledo 4,5,6 , Miguel Delgado-Rodríguez 1,2,7 and José J. Gaforio 1,2,3,7,* 1 Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils, University of Jaen, Campus las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain;
[email protected] (C.R.-G.);
[email protected] (C.S.-Q.);
[email protected] (M.D.-R.) 2 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain 3 Agri-food Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 14071 Córdoba, Spain 4 Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain;
[email protected] 5 CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain 6 IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain 7 CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER-ESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +34-953-212-002 Academic Editor: David Barker Received: 28 January 2019; Accepted: 4 March 2019; Published: 6 March 2019 Abstract: Dietary guidelines universally advise adherence to plant-based diets. Plant-based foods confer considerable health benefits, partly attributable to their abundant micronutrient (e.g., polyphenol) content. Interest in polyphenols is largely focused on the contribution of their antioxidant activity to the prevention of various disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Polyphenols are classified into groups, such as stilbenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans and others. Lignans, which possess a steroid-like chemical structure and are defined as phytoestrogens, are of particular interest to researchers.