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 to combat inflammation.
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, including vegetables, whole grains and legumes. A polyphenol rich diet supports health across multiple areas, so don't overthink what to eat.
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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Inflammation
Dryer-Beers ER, Griffin J, Matthews PM, Frost GS. Higher Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated With Lower Blood Inflammatory Markers. J Nutr. 2024 May 11:S0022-3166(24)00282-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.05.005. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38740187.
Dehzad MJ, Ghalandari H, Nouri M, Askarpour M. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in adults: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Cytokine. 2023 Apr;164:156144. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156144. Epub 2023 Feb 15. PMID: 36804260.
Wang T, Xu H, Dong R, Wu S, Guo Y, Wang D. Effectiveness of targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome by using natural polyphenols: A systematic review of implications on health effects. Food Res Int. 2023 Mar;165:112567. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112567. Epub 2023 Feb 3. PMID: 36869555.
Ferguson JJA, Abbott KA, Garg ML. Anti-inflammatory effects of oral supplementation with curcumin: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2021 Aug 9;79(9):1043-1066. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa114. PMID: 34378053.
Jantan I, Haque MA, Arshad L, Harikrishnan H, Septama AW, Mohamed-Hussein ZA. Dietary polyphenols suppress chronic inflammation by modulation of multiple inflammation-associated cell signaling pathways. J Nutr Biochem. 2021 Jul;93:108634. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108634. Epub 2021 Mar 29. PMID: 33794330.
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