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Nutrients
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Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control
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Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2024 | Viewed by 7885

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Emad Al-Dujaili

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Interests: nutrition; stress; exercise; polyphenols; steroid hormones
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Catherine Tsang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Interests: polyphenols; nutraceuticals; healthy aging; cognitive function; chronic disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The multi-functional potential of natural products, particularly plant phytochemicals, includes optimising physiological functions, modulating immune responses and the gut microbiota, influencing epigenome activity, enhancing stress adaptation, and impacting body system pathophysiology. A prominent example is the probiotic and prebiotic activity of the major active constituent, phytochemicals, which modulate molecular pathways related to various health benefits including appetite control and which manipulate the gut–brain axis for the treatment of obesity, in addition to their antitumor and chemo-preventive activities. The growing interest in natural products is driven by consumer demands, industry advancements, and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases in aging populations. As people seek safe and effective alternatives, the potential of natural products and functional foods in promoting health and wellness has gained momentum.

Functional foods and supplements have been found to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders, and some cancers. The pleiotropic effects of these polyphenols are evident regarding their role in redox modulation and inflammatory processes, molecular signalling, stem cell proliferation and differentiation, metabolism regulation, and hormonal imbalance, as well as their potential effects in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The biological actions of diet and its active natural components have been mainly attributed to their multiple actions affecting various cellular and hormonal pathways. For example, the mechanisms by which natural products could exert their antihypertensive effect have shown a multiplicity of actions (e.g., increased NO production, inhibition of renin release and ACE activity, angiotensin receptor and calcium channel blockade, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and opioid agonistic effects)

This Special Issue will collate recent high-quality research in the field of appetite regulation, the gut microbiota, and the probiotic actions of phytochemicals, focusing on the investigation of gut-related mechanisms in relation to functional foods, including gut hormones, gastrointestinal motility, gut–brain communication, and the roles of diet and the microbiome. Both original research articles and reviews (clinical and preclinical) as well as animal research work are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Emad Al-Dujaili
Dr. Catherine Tsang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diet
  • appetite
  • gut microbiome
  • gut hormones
  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • gut–brain communication

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2713 KiB  
Article
Effect of a Higher-Protein Nut versus Higher-Carbohydrate Cereal Enriched Diet on the Gut Microbiomes of Chinese Participants with Overweight and Normoglycaemia or Prediabetes in the Tū Ora Study
by Saif Faraj, Ivana R. Sequeira-Bisson, Louise Lu, Jennifer L. Miles-Chan, Michael Hoggard, Daniel Barnett, Amber Parry-Strong, Meika Foster, Jeremy D. Krebs, Sally D. Poppitt, Michael W. Taylor and Akarsh Mathrani
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121971 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1277
Abstract
Global increases in metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially within Asian populations, highlight the need for novel approaches to dietary intervention. The Tū Ora study previously evaluated the effects on metabolic health of including a nut product into the diet [...] Read more.
Global increases in metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially within Asian populations, highlight the need for novel approaches to dietary intervention. The Tū Ora study previously evaluated the effects on metabolic health of including a nut product into the diet of a New Zealand cohort of Chinese participants with overweight and normoglycaemia or prediabetes through a 12-week randomised, parallel-group clinical trial. In this current study, we compared the impact of this higher-protein nut bar (HP-NB) versus a higher-carbohydrate cereal bar (HC-CB) on the faecal microbiome by employing both 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing of pre- and post-intervention pairs from 84 participants. Despite the higher fibre, protein, and unsaturated fat content of nuts, there was little difference between dietary groups in gut microbiome composition or functional potential, with the bacterial phylum Firmicutes dominating irrespective of diet. The lack of observed change suggests the dietary impact of the bars may have been insufficient to affect the gut microbiome. Manipulating the interplay between the diet, microbiome, and metabolic health may require a more substantial and/or prolonged dietary perturbation to generate an impactful modification of the gut ecosystem and its functional potential to aid in T2D risk reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control)
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Review

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17 pages, 1659 KiB  
Review
Postbiotics as Adjuvant Therapy in Cancer Care
by Vyshnavy Balendra, Roberto Rosenfeld, Chiara Amoroso, Cecilia Castagnone, Maria Grazia Rossino, Ornella Garrone and Michele Ghidini
Nutrients 2024, 16(15), 2400; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152400 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 2118
Abstract
Postbiotics are defined as a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit to the host. They range from cell wall fragments to metabolites, bacterial lysates, extracellular vesicles, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Postbiotics may influence carcinogenesis via a [...] Read more.
Postbiotics are defined as a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit to the host. They range from cell wall fragments to metabolites, bacterial lysates, extracellular vesicles, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Postbiotics may influence carcinogenesis via a variety of mechanisms. They can promote homeostatic immune responses, reduce inflammation, induce selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells, as well as the enabling the control of tumor cell proliferation and enhancing intestinal epithelial barrier function. Therefore, probiotics can serve as an adjunct strategy in anticancer treatment together with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Up to now, the only relevant postbiotics used as interventions in oncological patients remain vitamin K molecules, with few phase-II and III trials available. In fact, postbiotics’ levels are strictly dependent on the gut microbiota’s composition, which may vary between individuals and can be altered under different physiological and pathological conditions. Therefore, the lack of consistent clinical evidence supporting postbiotics’ efficacy is due to their poor bioavailability, short half-life, and fluctuating levels. Synbiotics, a mixture of prebiotics and probiotics, are expected to have a more homogeneous bioavailability with respect to postbiotics and may have greater potential for future development. In this review, we focus on the role of postbiotics as an adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control)
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18 pages, 1259 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Significance of Gut Microbiota in Diabetes Pathogenesis and Management—A Narrative Review
by Ewelina Młynarska, Jakub Wasiak, Agata Gajewska, Greta Steć, Joanna Jasińska, Jacek Rysz and Beata Franczyk
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1938; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121938 - 19 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2028
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes is a disease with significant health consequences for the individual. Currently, new mechanisms and therapeutic approaches that may affect this disease are being sought. One of them is the association of type 2 diabetes with microbiota. Through the enteric nervous [...] Read more.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease with significant health consequences for the individual. Currently, new mechanisms and therapeutic approaches that may affect this disease are being sought. One of them is the association of type 2 diabetes with microbiota. Through the enteric nervous system and the gut–microbiota axis, the microbiota affects the functioning of the body. It has been proven to have a real impact on influencing glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. With dysbiosis, there is increased bacterial translocation through the disrupted intestinal barrier and increased inflammation in the body. In diabetes, the microbiota’s composition is altered with, for example, a more abundant class of Betaproteobacteria. The consequences of these disorders are linked to mechanisms involving short-chain fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide, among others. Interventions focusing on the gut microbiota are gaining traction as a promising approach to diabetes management. Studies are currently being conducted on the effects of the supply of probiotics and prebiotics, as well as fecal microbiota transplantation, on the course of diabetes. Further research will allow us to fully develop our knowledge on the subject and possibly best treat and prevent type 2 diabetes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control)
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Other

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26 pages, 2638 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effect of Polyphenol Supplementation on Memory Functioning in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Sara Farag, Catherine Tsang, Emad A. S. Al-Dujaili and Philip N. Murphy
Nutrients 2024, 16(4), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040474 - 6 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1993
Abstract
Negative health consequences of obesity include impaired neuronal functioning and cell death, thus bringing the risk of impaired cognitive functioning. Antioxidant properties of polyphenols offer a possible intervention for overweight people, but evidence for their effectiveness in supporting cognitive functioning is mixed. This [...] Read more.
Negative health consequences of obesity include impaired neuronal functioning and cell death, thus bringing the risk of impaired cognitive functioning. Antioxidant properties of polyphenols offer a possible intervention for overweight people, but evidence for their effectiveness in supporting cognitive functioning is mixed. This review examined evidence from randomized controlled trials concerning the effect of polyphenols on tasks requiring either immediate or delayed retrieval of learned information, respectively, thus controlling for differences in cognitive processes and related neural substrates supporting respective task demands. Searches of the PubMed/Medline, PsycInfo, and Scopus databases identified 24 relevant primary studies with N = 2336 participants having a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2. The participants’ mean age for the 24 studies exceeded 60 years. Respective meta-analyses produced a significant summary effect for immediate retrieval but not for delayed retrieval. The present findings support a potential positive effect of chronic supplementation with polyphenols, most notably flavonoids, on immediate retrieval in participants aged over 60 years with obesity being a risk factor for cognitive impairment. We recommend further investigation of this potential positive effect in participants with such risk factors. Future research on all populations should report the phenolic content of the supplementation administered and be specific regarding the cognitive processes tested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Intake of Phytochemicals, Gut Microbiota and Appetite Control)
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