Dietary (poly)phenolics in human health: structures, bioavailability, and evidence of protective effects against chronic diseases
Open accessAbstract
Human intervention trials have provided evidence for protective effects of various (poly)phenol-rich foods against chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer. While there are considerable data suggesting benefits of (poly)phenol intake, conclusions regarding their preventive potential remain unresolved due to several limitations in existing studies. Bioactivity investigations using cell lines have made an extensive use of both (poly)phenolic aglycones and sugar conjugates, these being the typical forms that exist in planta, at concentrations in the low-μM-to-mM range. However, after ingestion, dietary (poly)phenolics appear in the circulatory system not as the parent compounds, but as phase II metabolites, and their presence in plasma after dietary intake rarely exceeds nM concentrations. Substantial quantities of both the parent compounds and their metabolites pass to the colon where they are degraded by the action of the local microbiota, giving rise principally to small phenolic acid and aromatic catabolites that are absorbed into the circulatory system. This comprehensive review describes the different groups of compounds that have been reported to be involved in human nutrition, their fate in the body as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract and are absorbed into the circulatory system, the evidence of their impact on human chronic diseases, and the possible mechanisms of action through which (poly)phenol metabolites and catabolites may exert these protective actions. It is concluded that better performed in vivo intervention and in vitro mechanistic studies are needed to fully understand how these molecules interact with human physiological and pathological processes.
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Identification of candidate dietary biomarkers is complicated because most food compounds are treated as xenobiotics by the human body in phase I and phase II reactions or undergo fermentation in the colon by gut microbiota.
“As previously described, the identification of candidate dietary biomarkers is complicated by the fact that the majority of food compounds are treated as xenobiotics by the human body in phase I and phase II reactions or undergo fermentation in the colon by the gut microbiota (139).”
From The food metabolome: a window over dietary exposure (2014) · cites this paper as [139]
There is strong scientific evidence that increased consumption of crops rich in (poly)phenolics and other antioxidant plant secondary metabolites is associated with health benefits, including reduced risk of chronic diseases such as CVD, certain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.
“Many of these compounds have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including CVD and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers, in dietary intervention and epidemiological studies.”
This estimated magnitude of difference would be equivalent to the amount of antioxidants/(poly)phenolics present in one to two of the five portions of fruits and vegetables recommended daily.
“This estimated magnitude of difference would be equivalent to the amount of antioxidants/(poly)phenolics present in one to two of the five portions of fruits and vegetables recommended to be consumed daily and would therefore be significant/meaningful in terms of human nutrition, if information linking these plant secondary metabolites to the health benefits associated with increased fruit,”
A switch from conventional to organic crop consumption would result in a 20-40% (and for some compounds more than 60%) increase in crop-based antioxidant/(poly)phenolic intake levels without a simultaneous increase in energy.
“Based on the differences reported, results indicate that a switch from conventional to organic crop consumption would result in a 20–40 % (and for some compounds more than 60 %) increase in crop-based antioxidant/(poly)phenolic intake levels without a simultaneous increase in energy, which would be in line with the dietary recommendations( 16 , 17 ).”
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References 516 · Cited by 2,601
- Authors
- Del Rio, D., Rodriguez-Mateos, A., Spencer, J. P. E., Tognolini, M., Borges, G., & Crozier, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Parma
- University of Reading
- University of Reading (GB)
- University of Parma (IT)
- University of Glasgow (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Crozier, Alan
- Venue
- Antioxidants & Redox Signaling
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-05
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- 1818-1892
- ISSN
- 1523-0864 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7716
- PMC
- PMC3619154
- OpenAlex
- W2011336591
- Cited by
- 2,601
- References
- 516
- Citations by year
- 2026: 151 · 2025: 169 · 2024: 175 · 2023: 185 · 2022: 212 · 2021: 234 · 2020: 257 · 2019: 224 · 2018: 216 · 2017: 227 · 2016: 185 · 2015: 154 · 2014: 148 · 2013: 55 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 12.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Antioxidants and Redox Signaling (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/G005702/1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Pomegranate: compositions and health benefits
- Keywords
- dietary polyphenols, polyphenol bioavailability, phase II metabolites, gut microbiota, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, cancer prevention, human nutrition, mechanism of action
- MeSH terms
- Biological Availability, Cardiovascular Diseases, Humans, Dietary Supplements, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Polyphenols
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