Total Polyphenol Intake Is Inversely Associated with a Pro/Anti-Inflammatory Biomarker Ratio in European Adolescents of the HELENA Study

Prospective association of changes in (poly)phenol intake, body weight and physical activity with inflammatory profile

BACKGROUNDS AND AIM

To prospectively evaluate the associations between changes in (poly)phenol intake, body weight(BW), and physical activity(PA) with changes in an inflammatory score after 1-year.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This is a prospective observational analysis involving 484 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus with available inflammatory measurements. (Poly)phenol intake was estimated using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the Phenol-Explorer database. An inflammatory score was calculated based on 8 blood biomarkers (IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, MCP-1, C-peptide, hs-CRP, leptin, and RANTES). The association between BW, PA, (poly)phenol intake and inflammatory score was evaluated using structural equations. Mediation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between change in (poly)phenol intake and inflammatory score was mediated by the change in BW. A higher increase in total (poly)phenol intake was related to a decrease in the inflammatory score (β = -0.005mg/1000 Kcal; CI95 % = -0.100,0.000) along with a decrease in BW (β = -0.006mg/1000 Kcal; CI95 % = -0.010,-0.003). Increased PA was associated with a lower inflammatory score (β = -0.129MET-min/d; CI95 % = -0.238,-0.021) and BW (β = -0.248MET-min/d; CI95 % = -0.343,-0.152). Finally, a decrease in BW was associated with a decrease in the inflammatory score (β = 0.240 kg; CI95 % = 0.155,0.325). Mediation analyses revealed that changes in BW explained 22 % of the overall association between changes in (poly)phenol intake and inflammatory score.

CONCLUSIONS

An inverse association between changes in (poly)phenol intake and inflammatory status was observed, with BW playing a significant mediating role, emphasising the impact of BW reduction on inflammation reduction.

Fine-Scale Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated with Systemic and Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Healthy Adults

BACKGROUND

Polyphenols are dietary bioactive compounds, many of which have anti-inflammatory properties. However, information on the intake of dietary polyphenols at the class and compound levels and their associations with gastrointestinal (GI) and systemic inflammation is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

Estimate dietary polyphenol intake in healthy adults and examine its relationship with GI and systemic inflammation markers.

METHODS

Healthy adults (n = 350) completed the United States Department of Agriculture Nutritional Phenotyping Study, an observational, cross-sectional study balanced for age, sex, and body mass index. Dietary intake, assessed via multiple 24-h recalls, was ingredientized and mapped to FooDB, a comprehensive food composition database. Dietary polyphenol intake (total, class, compound) was estimated and examined for its relationship to GI and systemic inflammation markers using linear models and random forest regressions.

RESULTS

Mean total polyphenol intake was ∼914 mg/1000 kcal/d with flavonoids as the greatest class contributor (495 mg/1000 kcal/d). Tea, coffee, and fruits were among the largest food contributors to polyphenol intake. Total polyphenol intake was negatively associated with the GI inflammation marker, fecal calprotectin (β = -0.004, P = 0.04). At the class level, polyphenols categorized as prenol lipids (β = -0.94, P < 0.01) and phenylpropanoic acids (β = -0.92, P < 0.01) were negatively associated with plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, a proxy for GI permeability. Food sources of these two classes included mainly olive products. We further detected a positive association between C-reactive protein and polyphenols in the "cinnamic acids and derivatives" class using hierarchical feature engineering and random forest modeling.

CONCLUSIONS

Even in healthy adults, dietary polyphenol intake was negatively associated with GI inflammation and intake of prenol lipids and phenylpropanoic acids was negatively associated with GI permeability. Relationships between polyphenol intake and inflammatory outcomes varied with the resolution-total, class, compound-of polyphenol intake, suggesting a nuanced impact of polyphenols on GI and systemic inflammation. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02367287.

Blueberries and their bioactives in the modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation and cardio/vascular function markers: a systematic review of human intervention studies

Blueberries represent a rich source of (poly)phenols and other bioactive compounds. Numerous in vitro and animal model studies documented the potential health-promoting properties of blueberries and blueberry-bioactives, while little is still known about their effects in humans. The objective of the present systematic review is to provide main evidence and the potential mechanisms of action of blueberry and its (poly)phenols in the regulation of markers related to oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular and cardiometabolic function in health and disease states. A total of 45 human intervention studies were included in this review. Overall, the evidence suggests that blueberries may play a role in the improvement of markers of vascular function. Their effects were observed following both post-prandial and long-term consumption, particularly in subjects with risk factors and/or disease conditions. Conversely, the conflicting results on inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiometabolic risk markers were most likely due to differences among studies in terms of study design, subject characteristics, duration of intervention, dosage, and type of biomarkers analyzed. For these reasons, high-quality, well-designed, human intervention studies are warranted to strengthen the current findings on vascular function and provide more evidence about the impact of blueberries on the different markers considered. In addition, studies focusing on the relationship between the structure and the function of (poly)phenols will be fundamental for a better comprehension of the mechanisms behind the health effects observed.

Examining the role of systemic chronic inflammation in diet and sleep relationship

BACKGROUND

It is well known that systemic chronic inflammation (SCI), which can be modulated by diet, is associated with poor sleep outcomes. However, the role of SCI in diet health and sleep quality relationship has not been well established.

METHODS

Here, by using the UK Biobank data set, we assessed the association between markers of SCI (leukocyte, platelet, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and basophil counts; C-reactive protein levels and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)), habitual intake of food groups, diet health and sleep quality in 449,084 participants. We also formally tested the possibility that SCI might mediate the relationship between diet health and sleep quality.

RESULTS

Our results revealed (i) negative associations between SCI and food groups that are abundant in healthy diets (fruit, vegetable and oily and non-oily fish) and (ii) positive associations between SCI and food groups that are abundant in unhealthy diets (processed meat). Sleep quality was also negatively associated with platelet counts, CRP levels and NLR. Crucially, however, while platelet and neutrophil counts, CRP levels and NLR fully mediated the association between diet health and sleep quality, leukocyte, lymphocyte and basophil counts partially mediated the associations between diet health and sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

Reducing SCI via dietary interventions could be an effective primary and/or complementary strategy to increase sleep quality. Further interventional trials are warranted to (i) establish the strength of associations, preferably by using validated diet and sleep measures and (ii) examine longer term effects of anti-inflammatory diets on sleep-, diet- and inflammation-related health outcomes.

Bioactive Components in Traditional Foods Aimed at Health Promotion: A Route to Novel Mechanistic Insights and Lead Molecules?

Traditional foods and diets can provide health benefits beyond their nutrient composition because of the presence of bioactive compounds. In various traditional healthcare systems, diet-based approaches have always played an important role, which has often survived until today. Therefore, investigating traditional foods aimed at health promotion could render not only novel bioactive substances but also mechanistic insights. However, compared to pharmacologically focused research on natural products, investigating such nutrition-based interventions is even more complicated owing to interacting compounds, less potent and relatively subtle effects, the food matrix, and variations in composition and intake. At the same time, technical advances in 'omics' technologies, cheminformatics, and big data analysis create new opportunities, further strengthened by increasing insights into the biology of health and homeostatic resilience. These are to be combined with state-of-the-art ethnobotanical research, which is key to obtaining reliable and reproducible data. Unfortunately, socioeconomic developments and climate change threaten traditional use and knowledge as well as biodiversity. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 13 is March 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Overview of Polyamines as Nutrients for Human Healthy Long Life and Effect of Increased Polyamine Intake on DNA Methylation

Polyamines, spermidine and spermine, are synthesized in every living cell and are therefore contained in foods, especially in those that are thought to contribute to health and longevity. They have many physiological activities similar to those of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances such as polyphenols. These include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, cell and gene protection, and autophagy activation. We have first reported that increased polyamine intake (spermidine much more so than spermine) over a long period increased blood spermine levels and inhibited aging-associated pathologies and pro-inflammatory status in humans and mice and extended life span of mice. However, it is unlikely that the life-extending effect of polyamines is exerted by the same bioactivity as polyphenols because most studies using polyphenols and antioxidants have failed to demonstrate their life-extending effects. Recent investigations revealed that aging-associated pathologies and lifespan are closely associated with DNA methylation, a regulatory mechanism of gene expression. There is a close relationship between polyamine metabolism and DNA methylation. We have shown that the changes in polyamine metabolism affect the concentrations of substances and enzyme activities involved in DNA methylation. I consider that the increased capability of regulation of DNA methylation by spermine is a key of healthy long life of humans.

Diet, Sleep, and Mental Health: Insights from the UK Biobank Study

Diet has long been the focus of attention as a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases. As such, a better understanding of it is crucial to establish priorities for dietary guidelines and to inform, design, and implement strategies for preventing, helping manage, and stopping the progression of sleep and mental health-related symptoms/disorders. The aim of the current study is to conduct the largest investigation of diet, sleep, and mental health to date by utilizing the UK Biobank (UKB) dataset to identify the associations between diet and (i) sleep quality/health, and (ii) mental health symptomatology. This cross-sectional population-based study involved 502,494 middle-aged adults. UKB food frequency, sleep, and psychological factors and mental health questionnaires at baseline were used. Scores were also calculated for healthy diet, healthy sleep, mental health symptomatology, partial fibre intake, and milk intake. We observed positive associations with healthy diet and sleep and mental health, especially benefits of high intakes of vegetable, fruit, fish, water, and fibre. However, processed meat and milk intake were adversely associated with sleep and mental health. These findings make clear that there are health and wellbeing benefits and drawbacks of different diets, but do not, at this stage, demonstrate the clear causal relationships, which would support dietary interventions that might play a role in the treatment and also self-management of sleep and mental health disorders/symptoms. Further research is required to understand mechanisms of actions of which diet acts on to modulate sleep and mental health, while taking comorbidity of sleep and mental health disorders/symptoms into consideration.

The Effects of Natural and Synthetic Blue Dyes on Human Health: A Review of Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives

Blue synthetic dyes are widely used in many industries. Although they are approved for use as food dyes and in cosmetics and some medicines, their impacts on consumer health remain unknown. Some studies indicate that 2 synthetic dyes, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2, may have toxic effects. It has therefore been suggested that these should be replaced with natural dyes; however, despite being nontoxic and arguably healthier than synthetic dyes, these compounds are often unsuitable for use in food or drugs due to their instability. Nevertheless, among the natural blue pigments, anthocyanins and genipin offer particular health benefits, as they are associated with the prevention of cardiovascular disease and have anticancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties. This review summarizes the effects of blue food and drug colorings on health and proposes that synthetic colors should be replaced with natural ones.

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics for the discovery of candidate markers of flavonoid and polyphenolic intake in adults

Robust biological markers of dietary exposure are essential in improving the understanding of the link between diet and health outcomes. Polyphenolic compounds, including flavonoids, have been proposed to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases where oxidative stress and inflammation play a central role. Biomarkers can provide objective measurement of the levels of polyphenolic compounds. In this study, we provide methodology to identify potential candidate markers of polyphenol intake in human serum. Seventeen participants from the UK arm of the Global Allergy and Asthma Network of Excellence (GA²LEN) had their dietary intake estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and serum samples were assessed using mass spectrometry to identify potential candidate markers. 144 features were assigned identities, of these we identified four biologically relevant compounds (rhamnazin 3-rutinoside, 2-galloyl-1,4-galactarolactone methyl ester, 2″,32″-di-O-p-coumaroylafzelin and cyclocommunin), which were significantly increased in the serum of participants with high predicted level of fruit and vegetable intake. 2-galloyl-1,4-galactarolactone methyl ester was strongly correlated with total flavonoids (r = 0.62; P = 0.005), flavan-3-ols (r = 0.67; P = 0.002) as well as with other four subclasses. Rhamnazin 3-rutinoside showed strong correlation with pro-anthocyanidins (r = 0.68; P = 0.001), flavones (r = 0.62; P = 0.005). Our results suggest that serum profiling for these compounds might be an effective way of establishing the relative intake of flavonoids and could contribute to improve the accuracy of epidemiological methods to ascertain flavonoid intake.

The dietary inflammatory index is associated with anti- and pro-inflammatory adipokines in Brazilian schoolchildren

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship of Children's Dietary Inflammatory Index (C-DII™) scores with body fat distribution and serum adipokines in Brazilian schoolchildren.

METHODS

This population-based cross-sectional study enrolled 378 schoolchildren aged 8 and 9 years from Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Food consumption was assessed using three 24-h dietary recalls from which C-DII scores were calculated. Serum adipokines [adiponectin, leptin, retinal-binding protein 4 (RBP4), and chemerin] were analyzed in blood samples. Sociodemographic characteristics and sedentary behavior were assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Total, truncal, android and gynoid body fat were evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We compared the distributions of adiposity measures and serum adipokines by C-DII categories with linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

The mean sample C-DII was 0.59 ± 0.94 and ranged from - 2.16 to + 2.75. The C-DII was not associated with central and total body fat. However, the C-DII was modestly inversely associated with adiponectin and RBP4, and modestly directly associated with chemerin. These results remained significant after adjusting for body fat. Every 1 SD of C-DII was related, respectively, to a - 0.8 (- 1.5, - 0.03) and to a - 0.1 (- 0.2, - 0.05) units lower mean of adiponectin and RBP4, and to 7.2 (0.3, 14.1) units higher of chemerin.

CONCLUSION

Higher C-DII score was modestly inversely and directly associated with anti- and pro-inflammatory adipokines, respectively, in Brazilian children. The development of public health policies is needed to promote healthy eating habits during childhood to prevent the early onset of systemic inflammation and ill health effects later in life.