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NutrInsight • Do we need dietary polyphenols for health?
• The potential mechanisms of action of polyphenols in improving cardiovascular prognosis are complex, manifold, probably interrelated and extended beyond their antioxidant properties.
• Their antioxidant properties appeared to be rather indirect due to their very low concentration in blood and tissues.
• Polyphenols have also been shown to exert anti-inflammatory actions (e.g. interference with signal transduction, direct inhibition of pro- inflammatory enzymes).
• They might also increase nitric oxide bioavailability leading to improved vascular reactivity.
• Increasing evidence also suggests that polyphenols can modulate the microbiota in the large intestine, potentially acting as prebiotics.
• Metal chelation by polyphenols, e.g. during food digestion when large amounts of peroxides are formed, may lessen the risk of oxidative damage.
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Key Points