Bioactive peptides from meat and their influence on human health

Abstract

Bioactive peptides are functional components, encrypted in the proteins and can be derived from food of plant and animal origin, including meat. After releasing during gastrointestinal digestion or food processing, these peptides exhibit many differ- ent effects on human body such as antioxidative, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, cytomodulatory, immunomodulatory, anticancer, hypocholesterolemic and anti-obesity effects, which mainly depends on their structure and other properties. Considering bioactive activities of these peptides and their benefi cial infl uence on health on one side, and millions of deaths caused by cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases associated with lifestyle on the other side, it is obvious that these peptides can be used for health promotion and disease risk reduction, especially because they have some advantages compared to synthetic drugs.