Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Aug 1;110(2):316-329. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz075.
Aronia melanocarpa is a rich source of (poly)phenols. Previous research has demonstrated that these berries may provide cardiovascular health benefits in high-risk populations. However, very few studies have investigated the effects of daily consumption of dietary achievable amounts of the berries in healthy subjects.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aronia berries on vascular function and gut microbiota composition in a healthy population.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel designed study was conducted in 66 healthy men randomly allocated to consume a (poly)phenol-rich extract (116 mg, 75 g berries), a whole fruit powder (12 mg, 10 g berries), or placebo (maltodextrin) for 12 wk. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), arterial stiffness, blood pressure, heart rate, and serum biochemistry were assessed. Plasma (poly)phenol metabolites were analyzed by LC-MS. Gut microbiota composition was determined via 16S rRNA sequencing in stool samples.
Consumption of aronia whole fruit and extract powder for 12 wk led to a significant increase in FMD over control of 0.9% ± 0.4% (95% CI: 0.13%, 1.72%) and 1.2% ± 0.4% (95% CI: 0.36%, 1.97%), respectively. Acute improvements in FMD were also observed 2 h after consumption of aronia extract on day 1 (1.1% ± 0.3%, P = 0.003) and 12 wk later (1.5% ± 0.4%, P = 0.0001). Circulating plasma phenolic metabolites increased upon consumption of the aronia treatments. Although no changes were found in gut microbiota diversity, consumption of aronia extract increased the growth of Anaerostipes (+10.6%, P = 0.01), whereas aronia whole fruit showed significant increases in Bacteroides (+193%, P = 0.01). Correlation analysis identified significant associations between changes in FMD, aronia-derived phenolic metabolites, and specific gut microbial genera.
In healthy men, consumption of aronia berry (poly)phenols improved endothelial function and modulated gut microbiota composition, indicating that regular aronia consumption has the potential to maintain cardiovascular health in individuals at low risk of cardiovascular disease. This trial was registered at CLINICALTRIALs.gov as NCT03041961.
黑果腺肋花楸富含（多）酚类物质。此前的研究表明，这些浆果可能对高危人群的心血管健康有益。然而，很少有研究调查在健康受试者中每日食用可达到的膳食量的浆果对健康的影响。
本研究旨在调查黑果腺肋花楸对健康人群血管功能和肠道微生物群组成的影响。
本研究采用双盲、安慰剂对照、平行设计，将 66 名健康男性随机分配，分别食用富含（多）酚的提取物（116mg，75g 浆果）、全果粉（12mg，10g 浆果）或安慰剂（麦芽糊精），持续 12 周。通过血流介导的扩张（FMD）、动脉僵硬度、血压、心率和血清生化指标评估血管功能。通过 LC-MS 分析血浆（多）酚代谢产物。通过 16S rRNA 测序分析粪便样本中的肠道微生物群组成。
食用黑果腺肋花楸全果和提取物粉末 12 周后，FMD 分别比对照组增加了 0.9%±0.4%（95%CI：0.13%，1.72%）和 1.2%±0.4%（95%CI：0.36%，1.97%）。在第 1 天和第 12 周后，食用黑果腺肋花楸提取物后 2 小时内也观察到 FMD 的急性改善，分别为 1.1%±0.3%（P=0.003）和 1.5%±0.4%（P=0.0001）。食用黑果腺肋花楸治疗后，循环血浆酚类代谢物增加。尽管肠道微生物群多样性没有变化，但食用黑果腺肋花楸提取物增加了厌氧棒状菌属（+10.6%，P=0.01）的生长，而黑果腺肋花楸全果则显著增加了拟杆菌属（+193%，P=0.01）。相关性分析确定了 FMD、黑果腺肋花楸衍生的酚类代谢物与特定肠道微生物属之间的显著关联。
在健康男性中，食用黑果腺肋花楸（多）酚可改善血管内皮功能，并调节肠道微生物群组成，表明定期食用黑果腺肋花楸有可能维持心血管疾病低风险个体的心血管健康。本研究在 CLINICALTRIALS.gov 上注册为 NCT03041961。
