Interactions Between Fibre and Polyphenols on Colonic Phenolic Acid Production and Biomarkers of Health ( 6 Weeks)

Overview

The investigators have studied the acute interactions of polyphenols and NDC in a single meal in a human study containing tomatoes, lovage \& onions, with and without inulin. The investigators now wish to study the longer-term interactions of these foods over 6 weeks as well as their impact on biomarkers of human health, the gut microbiome, human proteome and markers of risk of chronic disease. This may allow better targeted evaluation of foods which influence health through the gut microbiome.

Polyphenol rich plant foods have been associated with several health benefits but their bioavailability is generally low. The majority of plant polyphenols are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and enter the colon where the colonic microbiota metabolise them to release a range of phenolic acids, which are now thought to be the main bioactive components related to the reduction in disease risk. Very little is known about the impact of other constituents of the diet on the metabolism and bacterial catabolism of these polyphenols. Colonic bacteria are key agents in the release of the bioactive molecules from polyphenols but also ferment non-digestible carbohydrates (NDC) such as inulin to short chain fatty acids. It is likely that there are key interactions in the colonic bacterial metabolism of NDC and phenolics. The investigators hypothesize that combination of polyphenolics (in onions, tomatoes and lovage) with inulin (NDC) will increase the urinary output of bioactive phenolic acids over a 6 week feeding trial and impact on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health.

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