Department of Clinical, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiological and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 40100 Latina, Italy.
Nutrients. 2023 Sep 28;15(19):4203. doi: 10.3390/nu15194203.
Gut barrier disruption can lead to enhanced intestinal permeability, which allows endotoxins, pathogens, and other proinflammatory substances to move through the intestinal barrier into circulation. Intense exercise over a prolonged period increases intestinal permeability, which can be further worsened by the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of intestinal permeability in elite football players and to exploit the effect of cocoa polyphenols on intestinal permeability induced by intensive physical exercise. Biomarkers of intestinal permeability, such as circulating levels of zonulin, a modulator of tight junctions, occludin, a tight junction protein, and LPS translocation, were evaluated in 24 elite football players and 23 amateur athletes. Moreover, 24 elite football players were randomly assigned to either a dark chocolate (>85% cocoa) intake ( = 12) or a control group ( = 12) for 30 days in a randomized controlled trial. Biochemical analyses were performed at baseline and after 30 days of chocolate intake. Compared to amateur athletes, elite football players showed increased intestinal permeability as indicated by higher levels of zonulin, occludin, and LPS. After 30 days of dark chocolate intake, decreased intestinal permeability was found in elite athletes consuming dark chocolate. In the control group, no changes were observed. In vitro, polyphenol extracts significantly improved intestinal damage in the human intestinal mucosa cell line Caco-2. These results indicate that chronic supplementation with dark chocolate as a rich source of polyphenols positively modulates exercise-induced intestinal damage in elite football athletes.
肠道屏障破坏可导致肠通透性增加，使内毒素、病原体和其他促炎物质穿过肠道屏障进入循环。长时间剧烈运动可增加肠通透性，而活性氧（ROS）和促炎细胞因子的产生增加会进一步加重这种情况。本研究旨在评估精英足球运动员的肠通透性程度，并探讨可可多酚对剧烈运动引起的肠通透性的影响。本研究评估了 24 名精英足球运动员和 23 名业余运动员的肠道通透性生物标志物，如循环水平的紧密连接调节剂 zonulin、紧密连接蛋白 occludin 和 LPS 易位。此外，24 名精英足球运动员被随机分为黑巧克力（可可含量>85%）摄入组（n=12）或对照组（n=12），进行为期 30 天的随机对照试验。在基线和巧克力摄入 30 天后进行生化分析。与业余运动员相比，精英足球运动员的肠道通透性增加，表现为 zonulin、occludin 和 LPS 水平升高。在黑巧克力摄入 30 天后，食用黑巧克力的精英运动员的肠道通透性降低。在对照组中，未观察到变化。在体外，多酚提取物显著改善了人肠黏膜细胞系 Caco-2 的肠道损伤。这些结果表明，慢性补充富含多酚的黑巧克力可积极调节精英足球运动员运动引起的肠道损伤。
