Antidiabetic Effects of Flavan-3-ols and Their Microbial Metabolites

Diet is one of the pillars in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus. Particularly, eating patterns characterized by a high consumption of foods such as fruits or vegetables and beverages such as coffee and tea could influence the development and progression of type 2 diabetes. Flavonoids, whose intake has been inversely associated with numerous negative health outcomes in the last few years, are a common constituent of these food items. Therefore, they could contribute to the observed positive effects of certain dietary habits in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Of all the different flavonoid subclasses, flavan-3-ols are consumed the most in the European region. However, a large proportion of the ingested flavan-3-ols is not absorbed. Therefore, the flavan-3-ols enter the large intestine where they become available to the colonic bacteria and are metabolized by the microbiota. For this reason, in addition to the parent compounds, the colonic metabolites of flavan-3-ols could take part in the prevention and management of diabetes. The aim of this review is to present the available literature on the effect of both the parent flavan-3-ol compounds found in different food sources as well as the specific microbial metabolites of diabetes in order to better understand their potential role in the prevention and treatment of the disease

Microbial Metabolites of Flavan-3-Ols and Their Biological Activity

Flavan-3-ols are the main contributors to polyphenol intake. Many varying beneficial health effects in humans have been attributed to them, including the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these flavonoids could exert beneficial functions are not entirely known. Several in vitro studies and in vivo animal models have tried to elucidate the role of the specific colonic metabolites on the health properties that are attributed to the parent compounds since a larger number of ingested flavan-3-ols reach the colon and undergo there microbial metabolism. Many new studies about this topic have been performed over the last few years and, to the best of our knowledge, no scientific literature review regarding the bioactivity of all identified microbial metabolites of flavan-3-ols has been recently published. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present the current status of knowledge on the potential health benefits of flavan-3-ol microbial metabolites in humans while using the latest evidence on their biological activity

Análisis de las empresas familiares en Ecuador desde una óptica multivariante

En el desarrollo económico para el mundo empresarial se encuentra una tipología organizacional denominada empresa familiar, que en el caso de Ecuador, es un proceso sistemático que involucra diversos sectores, tales como: Público, privado, asociaciones, entre otros. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar las empresas familiares desde una óptica multivariante, se busca ahondar en estos grupos familiares que están concentrados más en las provincias del Guayas, Pichincha, Manabí, Azuay y El Oro, debido al gran potencial del sector comercio. La metodología aplicada fue bajo un enfoque cuantitativo, con alcance de tipo exploratorio, descriptivo y multivariante, a través de un muestreo aleatorio simple conformado por 250 empresas, de diferentes tamaños, generaciones y sectores. Se efectuaron dos técnicas multivariantes de datos, análisis de componentes principales y el HJ- Biplot. Como resultado, los elementos socioeconómicos reflejan que si es importante la sucesión en la empresa familiar para el desarrollo económico, por cuanto podría traer como consecuencia un déficit en su crecimiento si se toman malas decisiones. En conclusión, la empresa familiar en Ecuador ha logrado reposicionarse en el mercado aumentado su participación, incrementado la variedad, la calidad de sus productos y su área geográfica de influencia, iniciando incluso sus primeras exportaciones al exterior.In the economic development for the business world there is an organizational typology called family business, which in the case of Ecuador, is a systematic process that involves various sectors, such as: Public, private, associations, among others. This research aims to analyze family businesses from a multivariate perspective, it seeks to delve into these family groups that are more concentrated in the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, Manabí, Azuay and El Oro, due to the great potential of the commerce sector. The methodology applied was under a quantitative approach, with an exploratory, descriptive and multivariate scope, through a simple random sampling made up of 250 companies, of different sizes, generations and sectors. Two multivariate data techniques were performed, principal component analysis and the HJ-Biplot. As a result, socioeconomic elements reflect that if succession in the family business is important for economic development, because it could result in a deficit in its growth if bad decisions are made. In conclusion, the family business in Ecuador has managed to reposition itself in the market, increasing its participation, increasing the variety, the quality of its products and its geographical area of influence, even starting its first exports abroad