The complex links between dietary phytochemicals and human health deciphered by metabolomics

Abstract

A large variety of phytochemicals commonly consumed with the human diet, influence health and may contribute to the prevention of diseases. However, it is still difficult to make nutritional recommendations for these bioactive compounds. Current studies of phytochemicals are generally focused on specific compounds and their effects on a limited number of markers. New approaches are needed to take into account both the diversity of phytochemicals found in the diet and the complexity of their biological effects. Recent progress in high-throughput analytical technologies and in bioinformatics now allows the simultaneous analysis of the hundreds or more metabolites constituting the metabolome in urine or plasma. These analyses give complex metabolic fingerprints characteristic of a given phenotype. The exploitation of the wealth of information it contains, in randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, should lead to the discovery of new markers of intake for phytochemicals and new markers of effects. In this paper, we briefly review the current methods used to evaluate intake of phytochemicals and their effects on health. We then describe the applications of metabolomics in this field. Recent metabolomics studies illustrate the potential of such a global approach to explore the complex relationships linking phytochemical intake and metabolism and health.

Berries and anthocyanins: promising functional food ingredients with postprandial glycaemia-lowering effects

“…The use of metabolomic techniques to analyse phenolic metabolites in urine or plasma have a promising role in epidemiological studies (33,34) . Although current estimates of dietary anthocyanin intakes are limited, epidemiological studies suggest that higher consumption rates of berries and anthocyanins are associated with beneficial effects on risk factors related to vascular function and T2D.…”

Metabolism and Bioavailability of Olive Oil Polyphenols

“…Even if the analyst uses proper tools, the fully structural assignment of the metabolites under study is sometimes very difficult due to the lack of the metabolite standards; fact which makes difficult the correct quantification too (D'Archivio et al, 2010;García-Villalba et al, 2010). The amount of information about the sample under study achieved in metabolomic studies is considerable, that is why for meaningful interpretation the appropriate statistical tools must be employed to manipulate the large raw data sets in order to provide understandable and workable information (Manach et al, 2009).…”

Metabolomic Pattern Analysis after Mediterranean Diet Intervention in a Nondiabetic Population: A 1- and 3-Year Follow-up in the PREDIMED Study

“…Metabolomics is an interesting tool for assessing the nutritional status of an individual, as well as for studying the biological consequences or metabolic mechanisms following a nutritional intervention (13)(14)(15). For instance, population-based studies have shown marked differences in metabolic profiles within and between populations that reflect dietary differences (16,17).…”