It is time for something a little bit different over the next few weeks. We will be taking a brief departure from our veterinary topics and looking at research focusing on the use of polyphenols, which can be both naturally occurring but can also be created artificially (Wikipedia).  The effects of polyphenols on degenerative and cardiovascular conditions will be looked at in more detail using two published research studies. The former will be looked at this week, with the results taken from research by Taira et al., ‘Dietary polyphenols increase fecal mucin and immunoglobulin A and ameliorate the disturbance in gut microbiota caused by a high fat diet’, J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2015 Nov; 57(3):212-216. The premise of this research was to assess how different components within the digestive system were affected, if at all, by dietary polyphenols. This study was carried out in rats, with the rats fed two different types of diet – high fat and low fat. The significance of this will be discussed in due course within this article. The type of polyphenols responsible for this were those taken from ariona, haskap and bilberry which are all northern fruits.

The result of this research study showed that two components, fecal mucin and immunoglobulin A (IgA) molecules, were increased, both very important in maintaining a barrier within the intestine to keep the digestive tract healthy and free from disease. In addition, these beneficial effects on the colonic environment did not require the polyphenols to be taken in by the digestive system, and may be responsible for staving off the onset of a degenerative disease. When consuming a high in fat diet, there can be a change in the bacterial population present within the digestive system, although this study revealed that the presence of polyphenols helped to prevent this - revealing yet another role for these molecules.

Whilst the effects of dietary polyphenols were relatively easy to establish, how these molecules actually work within the body does not appear to be all that well-understood, or when they act directly on cells relative to the many bacteria present within the digestive tract. Furthermore, it is postulated that polyphenols may work within the large intestine due to their antioxidant capabilities that help to preserve the lack of oxygen within this environment.

It is clear from this study that polyphenols may have advantageous effects biologically, and could explain their presence in certain organic supplements available to purchase. Next time we will look at the proposed link between polyphenols and their effects within the cardiovascular system – be sure not to miss it!