Phytochemicals and Gut Health: Benefits and Mechanisms

Dear Colleagues,

Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds found in plants, which play a key role in promoting gut health. These bioactive substances, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids, but also bioactive peptides and healthy dietary fats, exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects, among others, supporting gut health through different mechanisms of action, affecting the gut microbiota (e.g., through prebiotic effects), the gut wall components (e.g., mucosal healing, antispasmodic effects, etc.) and/or the gut connections with the rest of the body (via the modulation of important axes like the brain–gut axis, the endocrine–gut axis or the immune–gut axis). A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, rich in phytochemicals, may significantly improve gut health and contribute to overall well-being. New food technological strategies are being currently developed to optimize these benefits through new products. Beneficial interactions among different phytochemicals in the food matrix or in these new products are of particular interest.

This Special Issue aims to collect original studies, reviews and meta-analyses that may help to fully understand the impact of phytochemicals in gut health, as well as their mechanisms of action as isolated molecules or due to their interactions. We hope this Special Issue will provide new information to help design optimal, holistic, balanced, and robust functional food approaches to preserve gut health and to treat gastrointestinal conditions.

Prof. Dr. Raquel Abalo
Dr. Daniela Gabbia
Guest Editors

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