*2.4.1.1 Good for celiac diseases*

Celiac disease is a condition in which an individual is not able to tolerate the gluten protein which is found in traditional cereals like wheat, rye, barley, and so on. It is well known that quinoa is free from gluten protein; so, it is well tolerated by patients with celiac diseases as well as for individuals who want to include gluten-free food products in their diet.

#### *2.4.1.2 Antioxidant property*

Reported in earlier studies that the main edible part of the quinoa plant is quinoa seeds, but the leaves too contain rich phenolic compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancerous properties [32]. The quinoa extracts contain a considerable amount of ferulic, sinapinic, and gallic acids, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and rutin an inhibitory effect on prostate cancer cell proliferation and motility [32, 33]. It has been also proposed that these compounds help in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases as well as diabetes [32–34].

### *2.4.1.3 Anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and hypocholesterolemic effect*

Various clinical studies elaborated that quinoa contains multiple types of bioactive components like peptides, polysaccharides, phenolics, phytosterols, and so on that are proposed to prevent health complications like hyperglycemia, adiposity, and dyslipidemia. The mechanism involved for the above beneficial effects includes reduced lipid

absorption and adipogenesis, increased energy expenditure and glucose oxidation, and corrected gut microbiota [35]. It can be stated that quinoa offers several unique attributes that could be harnessed to improve the dietary management of obesity, diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases [35].
