Plant-derived Chemicals Found in Our Diet
Two recently published studies from ACNC investigators highlight the dynamic nature of how bioactive phytochemicals, plant-derived chemicals found in our diet, can be used to positively contribute to our health.
One study conducted by Dr. Colin Kay and colleagues examined how a class of bioactives found in blueberries are absorbed, metabolized, and excreted by our bodies after they are eaten. Investigators were particularly interested if processing the whole blueberries (i.e. food processing) would change how the bioactives were metabolized. Fresh blueberries were therefore compared to a blueberry-rich protein bar designed for the study to deliver an equivalent amount of the same variety of fresh blueberries. In this randomized, crossover trial, adults consumed fresh blueberries, the blueberry-rich protein bar, or a nutrient matched control meal before blood and urine samples were collected for analysis. Metabolites measured were similar after consumption of the fresh blueberries compared to the blueberry-rich protein bar. The study concluded that processed foods may provide health benefits comparable to fresh fruits, suggesting potential for ingredient or food development.
A recent publication from Dr. Umesh Wankhade’s lab at ACNC, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Utah, highlights how gut bacteria (bacteria that live and work in our intestines) help turn the food we eat into beneficial compounds that support heart health. Using a mouse model, Dr. Wankhade and colleagues found that antibiotic treatment, which reduces gut microbes’ population and reduces the production of key metabolites from strawberry digestion, linked to improved cardiovascular health. Mice fed a high-fat diet (known to induce inflammation) that was also supplemented with strawberries showed reduced cardiovascular inflammation compared to those on a high-fat diet without strawberry supplementation. What’s more, strawberry supplementation reduced harmful bacteria and increased beneficial ones, changes that were also associated with lower levels of inflammation.Authors concluded that strawberries could be a promising nutritional strategy to prevent cardiovascular complications.
Together, these research studies highlight how diverse dietary conditions and exposures can affect specific elements of the diet that can impact human health. The recently updated Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry Coreat the ACNChas a 2200 ft2 laboratory dedicated to chemical analysis of biological samples and diets and it works closely with the ACNC Biostatistics and Data Innovation Core to analyze and process data from a variety of human and animal samples.