Herbs, spices, grains, legumes, nuts, fruit, berries, vegetables... are rich in chemical compounds: polyphenols. Those consuming diets rich in polyphenols (these are plant forward diets) have better long-term health outcomes and there is growing evidence for their beneficial effects for cardiometabolic health.
Cardiometabolic health is more commonly spoken in terms of cardiometabolic disease or illness. This includes: diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, diabetes (insulin resistance), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and stroke.
Key findings in the studies below show that polyphenols benefit: blood pressure, lipid profiles, blood glucose, waist circumference, vascular function and inflammation markers.
Polyphenols can significantly lower blood pressure, triglycerides and total cholesterol, while improving vascular function via increased artery widening. However, no substantial impact is found on waist circumference or glucose stabilisation. While polyphenols have limited effect on HDL-cholesterol, they are effective in reducing LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides with long-term consumption showing stronger benefits.
Polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, have antioxidant properties that protect against oxidative damage, such as LDL oxidation, which contributes to atherosclerosis. They also reduce post meal inflammation. Some studies suggest modest but significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which could complement pharmacological treatments for hypertension.
Long-term intake of flavanols, anthocyanins (from berries) and other polyphenols may also reduce cardiovascular disease risk and improve cognitive health.
Read further about specific cardiometabolic illnesses and their relationship with polyphenols:
To see the collection of studies (that we will add to when new research is published), scroll down to bottom of page. If you have any suggestions of other studies to include, add them in the Comments section, also at bottom of page.
Polyphenols are not a magic bullet. They should be part of a healthy eating pattern and lifestyle.
To get the benefits of polyphenols, we enjoy using a whole food approach. What does this mean? At a minimum, enjoying fruit, nuts and seeds on a daily basis. Consuming herbs and spices. Prioritising as wide variety of foods as possible: vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
Benefits come from daily eating, daily living - over the course of time. Some may prefer a Western, Mediterranean diet; others a similarly plant forward Asian diet.
Be wary of using supplements where the evidence, safety, quality of manufacture or formulation is not as strong as the marketing behind them. As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment.
Have specific polyphenol questions? Try the online Phenol-Explorer. The database "contains more than 35,000 content values for 500 different polyphenols in over 400 foods. These data are derived from the systematic collection of more than 60,000 original content values found in more than 1,300 scientific publications."
Stay Healthy,
Alastair
Scroll down to see the studies.
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Cardiometabolic Health
Jin Y, Liang J, Hong C, Liang R, Luo Y. Cardiometabolic multimorbidity, lifestyle behaviours, and cognitive function: a multicohort study. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2023 Jun;4(6):e265-e273. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00054-5. Epub 2023 May 4. PMID: 37150183.
Mackonochie M, Rodriguez-Mateos A, Mills S, Rolfe V. A Scoping Review of the Clinical Evidence for the Health Benefits of Culinary Doses of Herbs and Spices for the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome. Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4867. doi: 10.3390/nu15234867. PMID: 38068725; PMCID: PMC10708057.
Neyestani TR, Yari Z, Rasekhi H, Nikooyeh B. How effective are anthocyanins on healthy modification of cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2023 May 23;15(1):106. doi: 10.1186/s13098-023-01075-0. PMID: 37221605; PMCID: PMC10204221.
Kiyimba T, Yiga P, Bamuwamye M, Ogwok P, Van der Schueren B, Matthys C. Efficacy of Dietary Polyphenols from Whole Foods and Purified Food Polyphenol Extracts in Optimizing Cardiometabolic Health: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2023 Mar;14(2):270-282. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.01.002. Epub 2023 Feb 1. PMID: 36796437; PMCID: PMC10229382.
Crowe-White KM, Evans LW, Kuhnle GGC, Milenkovic D, Stote K, Wallace T, Handu D, Senkus KE. Flavan-3-ols and Cardiometabolic Health: First Ever Dietary Bioactive Guideline. Adv Nutr. 2022 Dec 22;13(6):2070-2083. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac105. PMID: 36190328; PMCID: PMC9776652.
Yang C, Xia H, Wan M, Lu Y, Xu D, Yang X, Yang L, Sun G. Comparisons of the effects of different flaxseed products consumption on lipid profiles, inflammatory cytokines and anthropometric indices in patients with dyslipidemia related diseases: systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2021 Oct 11;18(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s12986-021-00619-3. PMID: 34635132; PMCID: PMC8504108.
Fallah AA, Sarmast E, Jafari T. Effect of dietary anthocyanins on biomarkers of glycemic control and glucose metabolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Food Res Int. 2020 Nov;137:109379. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109379. Epub 2020 Jun 4. PMID: 33233081.
Fallah AA, Sarmast E, Fatehi P, Jafari T. Impact of dietary anthocyanins on systemic and vascular inflammation: Systematic review and meta-analysis on randomised clinical trials. Food Chem Toxicol. 2020 Jan;135:110922. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2019.110922. Epub 2019 Oct 25. PMID: 31669599.
Raman G, Avendano EE, Chen S, Wang J, Matson J, Gayer B, Novotny JA, Cassidy A. Dietary intakes of flavan-3-ols and cardiometabolic health: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and prospective cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Nov 1;110(5):1067-1078. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz178. PMID: 31504087; PMCID: PMC6821550.
García-Conesa MT, Chambers K, Combet E, Pinto P, Garcia-Aloy M, Andrés-Lacueva C, de Pascual-Teresa S, Mena P, Konic Ristic A, Hollands WJ, Kroon PA, Rodríguez-Mateos A, Istas G, Kontogiorgis CA, Rai DK, Gibney ER, Morand C, Espín JC, González-Sarrías A. Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foods and Derived Products Containing Ellagitannins and Anthocyanins on Cardiometabolic Biomarkers: Analysis of Factors Influencing Variability of the Individual Responses. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Feb 28;19(3):694. doi: 10.3390/ijms19030694. PMID: 29495642; PMCID: PMC5877555.
Yamagata K. Do Coffee Polyphenols Have a Preventive Action on Metabolic Syndrome Associated Endothelial Dysfunctions? An Assessment of the Current Evidence. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018 Feb 4;7(2):26. doi: 10.3390/antiox7020026. PMID: 29401716; PMCID: PMC5836016.
Yang L, Ling W, Du Z, Chen Y, Li D, Deng S, Liu Z, Yang L. Effects of Anthocyanins on Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2017 Sep 15;8(5):684-693. doi: 10.3945/an.116.014852. PMID: 28916569; PMCID: PMC5593100.
Amiot MJ, Riva C, Vinet A. Effects of dietary polyphenols on metabolic syndrome features in humans: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2016 Jul;17(7):573-86. doi: 10.1111/obr.12409. Epub 2016 Apr 15. PMID: 27079631.
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