An emerging trend in food science is the link between food and health. Consumer concerns center around what is in their food, and especially how it can promote wellbeing. Thus, nowadays, food is considered not only a source of energy but also an affordable way to prevent future diseases. Several studies have shown that diets enriched in fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, nuts, and plant-derived beverages with a low content of free sugars and saturated fats can promote human health, gut microbiota included. Conversely, chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer, which are considered the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, are mainly related to an inappropriate lifestyle characterized by reduced physical activity and an unhealthy diet. An etiopathogenetic role for inflammation and oxidative stress was recognized for most of chronic diseases. In this scenario, the study of food polyphenols is pivotal because of their relevant and well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Although many works have been conducted about the role and properties of polyphenols in human health, some challenges remain:
(1) The link between chemical composition, determined by molecular speciation techniques (e.g., HPLC-MS and NMR), and biological activity in target tissues is still underestimated, thus making difficult the translation of in vitro evidence into in vivo outcomes (this is especially true for human studies)
(2) The absorption mechanism of phenolic compounds and their metabolism, as well as the fate of the metabolites (i.e., simple phenolic acids) and the eventual dependence on the consumer age, are still not well established
(3) Their bioaccessibility and bioavailability based on food and food processing factors, interaction with other compounds, and host-related factors (i.e., absorption, colonic fermentation, and tissue distribution), since the promising beneficial effects of polyphenols initially depend on whether their concentration in an in vitro or in vivo assay becomes available at the site of action in the human body.
Therefore, this Research Topic aims to collect research works related to in vitro and/or in vivo studies on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumoral activities of polyphenols from plant and food matrices and, particularly, the relationship between their chemical composition and structure and their biological activity in target cells and tissues. Moreover, reports about the absorption mechanism and metabolism of polyphenols as well as insights on dietary polyphenol-targeted epigenetics would be very welcome. Studies focused on the effect of gut microbiota are also accepted. Submissions should include the qualitative and quantitative analytical characterization of the polyphenols in the plant and food matrix of interest and their eventual metabolites.
This Research Topic primarily welcomes the submission of Reviews, Original Research Papers, and Mini-Reviews. All other forms of manuscripts accepted by Frontiers in Nutrition are also welcome.
An emerging trend in food science is the link between food and health. Consumer concerns center around what is in their food, and especially how it can promote wellbeing. Thus, nowadays, food is considered not only a source of energy but also an affordable way to prevent future diseases. Several studies have shown that diets enriched in fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, nuts, and plant-derived beverages with a low content of free sugars and saturated fats can promote human health, gut microbiota included. Conversely, chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer, which are considered the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, are mainly related to an inappropriate lifestyle characterized by reduced physical activity and an unhealthy diet. An etiopathogenetic role for inflammation and oxidative stress was recognized for most of chronic diseases. In this scenario, the study of food polyphenols is pivotal because of their relevant and well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Although many works have been conducted about the role and properties of polyphenols in human health, some challenges remain:
(1) The link between chemical composition, determined by molecular speciation techniques (e.g., HPLC-MS and NMR), and biological activity in target tissues is still underestimated, thus making difficult the translation of in vitro evidence into in vivo outcomes (this is especially true for human studies)
(2) The absorption mechanism of phenolic compounds and their metabolism, as well as the fate of the metabolites (i.e., simple phenolic acids) and the eventual dependence on the consumer age, are still not well established
(3) Their bioaccessibility and bioavailability based on food and food processing factors, interaction with other compounds, and host-related factors (i.e., absorption, colonic fermentation, and tissue distribution), since the promising beneficial effects of polyphenols initially depend on whether their concentration in an in vitro or in vivo assay becomes available at the site of action in the human body.
Therefore, this Research Topic aims to collect research works related to in vitro and/or in vivo studies on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumoral activities of polyphenols from plant and food matrices and, particularly, the relationship between their chemical composition and structure and their biological activity in target cells and tissues. Moreover, reports about the absorption mechanism and metabolism of polyphenols as well as insights on dietary polyphenol-targeted epigenetics would be very welcome. Studies focused on the effect of gut microbiota are also accepted. Submissions should include the qualitative and quantitative analytical characterization of the polyphenols in the plant and food matrix of interest and their eventual metabolites.
This Research Topic primarily welcomes the submission of Reviews, Original Research Papers, and Mini-Reviews. All other forms of manuscripts accepted by Frontiers in Nutrition are also welcome.
