Page 12 - Nutrinsight-3

NutrInsight • Do we need dietary polyphenols for health?
• Cocoa, tea, coffee, fruit and cereals are sources of phenolic compounds. The content and chemical nature of these phytochemicals differs largely from one food to another. Cocoa is particularly rich in polyphenols, mainly flavan-3-ols catechin and epicatechin.
• The development of exhaustive databases and standardization of the analytical methods will be a key support for further polyphenols investigation.
• Daily intake of total polyphenols can reach more than one gram. Coffee and fruits are the main polyphenols providers (60%) in the French diet (SUVIMAX cohort).
• Although bioavailability of dietary polyphenols is limited, they already have important effects in the GI tract before being absorbed.
• Most of polyphenols are transformed in the colon by the intestinal microbiota.
This conversion is often essential for absorption and modulates the biological activities of these compounds.
• The transformation of the native phenolics into their metabolites depends on the individuals and their difference in gut microbiota composition. This interindividual variability in gut microbiota could lead to varied health effects of each phenolic compound between different individuals.
12
Key Points