Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability 1,2

The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2004

Polyphenols are abundant micronutrients in our diet, and evidence for their role in the prevention of degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases is emerging. The health effects of polyphenols depend on the amount consumed and on their bioavailability. In this article, the nature and contents of the various polyphenols present in food sources and the influence of agricultural practices and industrial processes are reviewed. Estimates of dietary intakes are given for each class of polyphenols. The bioavailability of polyphenols is also reviewed, with particular focus on intestinal absorption and the influence of chemical structure (eg, glycosylation, esterification, and polymerization), food matrix, and excretion back into the intestinal lumen. Information on the role of microflora in the catabolism of polyphenols and the production of some active metabolites is presented. Mechanisms of intestinal and hepatic conjugation (methylation, glucuronidation, sulfation),...

Nutrients

Polyphenols are a group of phytochemicals with potential health-promoting effects. They are classified as flavonoid (flavonols, flavanols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones, and anthocyanins) and non-flavonoid molecules (phenolic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, lignans, stilbenes, and tannins). Although an increasing number of trials have shown a correlation among polyphenol consumption and a reduction in risk factors for chronic diseases, discrepancies in explaining their positive effects have been found in terms of the bioavailability. In fact, polyphenols show a low bioavailability due to several factors: interaction with the food matrix, the metabolic processes mediated by the liver (phase I and II metabolism), intestine and microbiota. On the other hand, the biological activities of phenol compounds may be mediated by their metabolites, which are produced in vivo, and recent studies have confirmed that these molecules may have antioxidant and anti-phlogistic properties. This revi...

Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanità, 2007

Fruit and beverages such as tea and red wine represent the main sources of polyphenols. Despite their wide distribution, the healthy effects of dietary polyphenols have come to the attention of nutritionists only in the last years. The main factor responsible for the delayed research on polyphenols is the variety and the complexity of their chemical structure. Emerging findings suggest a large number of potential mechanisms of action of polyphenols in preventing disease, which may be independent of their conventional antioxidant activities. To establish evidence for the effects of polyphenol consumption on human health and to better identify which polyphenols provide the greatest effectiveness in disease prevention, it is first of all essential to determine the nature and the distribution of these compounds in our diet, and secondly to better know their bioavailability.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2010

Frontiers in Nutrition

Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2002

Foods

Background: The importance of polyphenols in human health is well known; these compounds are common in foods, such as fruits, vegetables, spices, extra virgin olive oil and wine. On the other hand, the different factors that modulate the biological activity of these compounds are less well known. Conceptualization of the work: In this review we took into account about 200 relevant and recent papers on the following topics: “polyphenols bioavailability”, “polyphenols matrix effect”, “food matrix effect”, “polyphenols-cytochromes interaction”, after having reviewed and updated information on chemical classification and main biological properties of polyphenols, such as the antioxidant, anti-radical and anti-inflammatory activity, together with the tricky link between in vitro tests and clinical trials. Key findings: the issue of polyphenols bioavailability and matrix effect should be better taken into account when health claims are referred to polyphenols, thus considering the matrix ...

prepint, 2023

Asqur-Addu is a historical figure from the Mari palace archives. This short-lived king of a Habur town, Nahur, was ousted from his throne and led an eventful life until he took part in Ašlakka's great regional revolt against Mari (end of Zimri-Lim's reign). After this event, we lose track of him. Some forty documents enable us to follow this winding path of greatness and misery over almost thirteen years, made up of wars and murders, encounters with the inhabitants of Upper Habur, the king of Ešnunna, the king of Nihriya, the nomads Habiru and Hana, and the governor of Nahur, in the service of Zimri-Lim. One of his most surprising qualities was to be initiatied into the art of scribal writing, which explains why he was sent to Ešnunna to establish a treaty against Mari. His ambitions were high: he aspired to become the main warlord of his region, but he came up against strong local competitors. Despite this, he managed to survive, suffering various reverses of fortune, including temporary exile to the land of Yapṭur on the border with Zalmaqum. As he remained popular with some of the inhabitants in Upper Habur area, the governor of Nahur who occupied his city tried to disqualify him by calling him a fox, a cunning, harmful and unreliable animal.

1992