Purpose of review: The spread of the Western lifestyle across the globe has led to a pandemic in obesity-related metabolic disease. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), Okinawa diet (OkD) and Nordic diet, derived from very different regions of the world and culinary traditions, have a large whole plant food component and are associated with reduced disease risk. This review focuses on polyphenol : microbiome interactions as one possible common mechanistic driver linking the protective effects whole plant foods against metabolic disease across healthy dietary patterns irrespective of geography.
Recent findings: Although mechanistic evidence in humans is still scarce, animal studies suggest that polyphenol or polyphenol rich foods induce changes within the gut microbiota and its metabolic output of trimethylamine N-oxide, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids and small phenolic acids. These cross-kingdom signaling molecules regulate mammalian lipid and glucose homeostasis, inflammation and energy storage or thermogenesis, physiological processes determining obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk. However, it appears that where in the intestine metabolites are produced, the microbiota communities involved, and interactions between the metabolites themselves, can all influence physiological responses, highlighting the need for a greater understanding of the kinetics and site of production of microbial metabolites within the gut.
Summary: Interactions between polyphenols and metabolites produced by the gut microbiota are emerging as a possible unifying protective mechanism underpinning diverse healthy dietary patterns signaling across culinary traditions, across geography and across domains of life.