Food supplements containing different antioxidants are continuously increasing in popularity. The extraction, synthesis and manufacturing of known and proven antioxidants have become such a large industry with turnovers amounting to millions annually.

Polyphenols have been subjected to different clinical studies and have demonstrated significant indications of reducing the risk of developing different diseases like cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols protect the body from cellular damage caused by free radicals. Polyphenols have also been found to reduce the accumulation of bad cholesterol on artery walls that obstructs healthy blood flow and leads to cardiovascular disease. In nature, polyphenols are pigments that give plants and fruits their distinctive color.  In addition to the various health benefits that one may get from polyphenols, different studies have shown that these play a significant role in extending a person’s lifespan too.

Polyphenols against Colon Cancer

A study published in the Molecular Nutrition and Food Research show that drinking apple smoothies is more effective in increasing the bioavailability of polyphenols in the colon compared to drinking juice.  In fact, it may even be a more effective way of preventing cancer and chronic diseases.

The team of researchers from the Division of Food Chemistry and Toxicology from the University of Kaiserslauten in Germany said that smoothies give the body more polyphenols than apple ciders or juices. They added that this may indicate a stronger anti-cancer potential of apple smoothies compared to the other beverage preparations of apple. They observed that even though several in vitro studies demonstrate the antioxidant properties of polyphenols in apple juice, there is lesser significance when applied to an actual living body.

It becomes a challenge for the antioxidant to reach the areas where it is needed. The solution is to drink apple smoothies that increase the bioavailability of polyphenols in the colon. This makes it important to determine the amount of polyphenols that enter the body and how much of it is actually absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and how much reaches the colon. The researchers used a method called ileostomy, a procedure that uses a pouch positioned in the small intestines, in order to determine exactly how much of the polyphenols from the apple smoothies that the study participants drank reached that colon; substances caught in ileostomy bags are expected to reach the colon.

The study was primarily aimed at determining the amounts of quinic acid and polyphenols that comes in contact with ileostomy bags after drinking apple smoothies which contain 40 percent apple cider or puree and 60 percent apple juice. The researchers collected the ileostomy bags after periods of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 hours and they found that drinking apple smoothies resulted to more polyphenols in ileostomy bags than drinking apple cider or juice. This results to a heightened protection against colon cancer and other colon diseases. The researchers speculated that the results of the study are linked to the difference in the amounts of cell wall constituents that reduce the metabolism of polyphenols. They said that apple smoothies contain more of the mentioned components than cider and apple juice.

The Other Health Benefits of Polyphenols

Several studies have been conducted in order to fully establish the health benefits that a person may get from polyphenols. These, ultimately, gives all of us more reasons to search for food sources of polyphenols to ensure that we are protected from some dreaded medical conditions.

Polyphenols against Diabetes

A study found that the catechin polyphenol called ECGC in green tea can protect individuals with increased glucose conditions such as pre-diabetic metabolic syndrome and diabetes from heart disease and other medical conditions. Dried green tea leaf consists of 30 percent EGCG and it is considered to be one of the strongest natural phytochemicals. ECGC had already demonstrated positive influence over mental health problems, arthritis, heart diseases, oral health and even weight loss. The study conducted by a team of researchers from the National Chung-Hsing University Department of Food Science and Biotechnology found a link between drinking green tea and diabetes prevention. The study was assisted by Taiwan’s National Institute of Cancer Research.

The researchers found that EGCG can trigger beneficial body processes whenever a person’s blood sugar level increases. This effect protects people with pre-diabetic conditions and those with actual diabetes from serious health complications. They found that EGCG can control bad cholesterol levels in the blood and it helps protect the body from an adverse reaction to too much sugar called glycation. This happens when simple sugar molecules are attached to fats or proteins, resulting to the impairment of some biomolecules important to healthy body function. With EGCG controlling bad cholesterol levels in the blood, the risk of glycation from happening is reduced.

Polyphenols against Cancer

The role of antioxidants in treating and reducing the risk of developing cancer has been the subject of numerous studies worldwide. And one strong antioxidant facing the medical limelight is polyphenols.

In in-vitro studies, researchers observed that the polyphenols in green tea shut down the processes responsible for the development of tumors in breast cancer. Another study has also found that green tea can decrease the mutagenic effects of tobacco from smoking. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has found the link between polyphenols and prostate cancer treatment. They found that polyphenols in green tea and red wine can stop the growth of prostate cancer. The researchers said that natural wine and tea polyphenol components had been observed to stop or inhibit the onset, development and progression of prostate cancer by blocking the pathway essential for cancer malignancies to thrive and survive.

Similar studies show how polyphenols can reduce the adverse effects of oxidative stress to the body and reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Polyphenols against Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease has been thought to be a result of brain degeneration and a decrease in brain volume. Oxidative stress is one of the factors that results to cognitive decline and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. A study published in the Journal of Food Science found that polyphenols in fruits can protect the brain from oxidative stress that causes brain cells to die – and every time a cell in the brain dies, amyloid plaque deposits build in the brain; this has been seen to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline in old people.

Rich Sources of Polyphenols

Different classes of polyphenols are contained in fruits vegetables, grains, beans, coffee and chocolate. Dark fruits like dark plums, berries, cherries, and red grapes contain high amounts of polyphenols. In vegetables, a few of the richest sources are onions, parsley, celery, cabbages, broccoli, rhubarbs, beets and potatoes. Note that there are various types of polyphenols and some of them are lignans, tannins, phenolic alcohols, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. But they all exhibit the same antioxidant property typical to polyphenols.

Sources
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