Effect of physiological factors, pathologies, and acquired habits on the sweet taste threshold: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sweet taste perception is a key factor in the establishment of the food pattern with nonstatic thresholds. Indeed, taste sensitivity can be influenced by physiological factors (age and sex), pathologies (obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus), and acquired habits (tobacco and alcohol consumption). In order to elucidate how these variables influence the sucrose detection threshold (DT) and recognition threshold (RT), a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the relevant literature were performed. After a comprehensive search in the PubMed and Scopus databases, a total of 48 studies were qualitatively considered, and 44 were meta‐analyzed. The factors of aging (standard mean difference [SMD]: −0.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.74 to −0.19; I2: 73%; Tau2: 0.18) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (SMD: 0.30; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.55; I2: 0%; Tau2: 0.00) were found to significantly increase the sucrose RT, whereas the DT only increased in subjects with a higher body mass index (SMD: 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.82; I2: 0%; Tau2: 0.00). No effects of sex and tobacco smoking were found, and associations with alcohol consumption could not be assessed, as it was included as a variable in only one study. Feasible mechanisms underlying changes in sucrose thresholds include the modulation of hormones involved in energy and body weight homeostasis, taste bud abundance, taste brain signaling, and the gut-brain axis. The present work provides insights into the variables that should be considered when assessing sweet taste sensitivity, discusses the mechanisms underlying differences in sweet taste, and highlights the need for further research in the field of personalized nutrition

A new method to simultaneously quantify the antioxidants: carotenes, xanthophylls, and vitamin A in human plasma

A simple and accurate reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method for simultaneously determining and quantifying the antioxidants carotenes, xanthophylls, and retinol in human plasma is presented in this paper. Compounds were extracted with hexane, a C30 column, and a mobile phase of methanol, methyl tert-butyl ether, and water were used for the separation of the compounds. A total of 8 carotenoids, 3 Z--carotene isomers, and 1 fat-soluble vitamin (retinol) were resolved within 72 min at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Detection was achieved at 450 nm for carotenoids and 330 nm for retinol. To evaluate the effectiveness of themethod, it has been applied to an intervention study conducted on eight volunteers. Results. Limits of detection were between 0.1 g/mL for lycopene and astaxanthin and 1.3 g/mL for 15-Z--carotene. Recoveries were ranged between 89% and 113% for -carotene and astaxanthin, respectively. Accuracy was between 90.7% and 112.2% and precision was between 1% and 15% RSD. In human plasma samples compounds studied were identified besides three lycopene isomers, demonstrated to be suitable for application in dietary intervention studies. Conclusions. Due to its accuracy, precision, selectivity, and reproducibility, this method is suitable to dietary habits and/or antioxidants status studies

Microbial Phenolic Metabolites: Which Molecules Actually Have an Effect on Human Health?

The role of gut microbiota in human health has been investigated extensively in recent years. The association of dysbiosis, detrimental changes in the colonic population, with several health conditions has led to the development of pro-, pre- and symbiotic foods. If not absorbed in the small intestine or secreted in bile, polyphenols and other food components can reach the large intestine where they are susceptible to modification by the microbial population, resulting in molecules with potentially beneficial health effects. This review provides an overview of studies that have detected and/or quantified microbial phenolic metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography as the separation technique, followed by detection through mass spectrometry. Both in vitro experimental studies and human clinical trials are covered. Although many of the microbial phenolic metabolites (MPM) reported in in vitro studies were identified in human samples, further research is needed to associate them with clinical health outcomes

Multiresidue determination of the penicillins regulated by the European Union in bovine, porcine and chicken muscle by LC-MS/MS

A multiresidue analysis method was developed to determine the content of penicillins in bovine, porcine and chicken muscle tissues. The procedure involves solid phase extraction (SPE) and subsequent analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS) set by the European Union (EU) for all compounds. The method was validated according to EU guideline 2002/657/EC. The LOQ in tissues are below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) and appropriate quality parameters in terms of linearity, accuracy (recoveries higher than 70% for all antibiotics and animal tissues except for AMOX with 50% of recovery) and precision (in terms of intra and inter day with values lower than 12% in all cases) are obtained for the developed method. A study concerning to the matrix effect was made and it was concluded that similar matrix effect could be found in beef, pig and chicken. The method was applied to the analysis of samples of chicken from animals treated with amoxicillin

A comprehensive characterisation of beer polyphenols by high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS)

Beer is the second most consumed alcoholic beverage in Europe and shown by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort study to be the main food contributor to hydroxybenzoic acid intake. About 70-80% of the total polyphenol content in beer comes from malt, and the remaining 30-20% from hops. In this work, liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry technique has been used for an accurate identification of beer polyphenols. 47 phenolic compounds were identified using high mass accuracy and confirmed by MS(2) experiments, including simple phenolic acids, hydroxycinnamoylquinics, flavanols, flavonols, flavones, alkylmethoxyphenols, alpha- and iso-alpha-acids, hydroxyphenylacetic acids and prenylflavonoids. As far as we know, 7 of these compounds have been recognised in beer for the first time: feruloylquinic acid, caffeic acid-O-hexoside, coumaric acid-O-hexoside, sinapic acid-O-hexoside, catechin-O-dihexoside, kaempferol-O-hexoside, and apigenin-C-hexoside-pentoside

Total carotene plasma concentrations are inversely associated with atherosclerotic plaque burden: A post-hoc analysis of the DIABIMCAP cohort

Background and aims: Atherosclerosis is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the first cause of death worldwide. Chronic low-grade inflammation and a sustained oxidative milieu are causatively related to atherosclerosis onset and progression, and therefore, dietary patterns rich in bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities might likely contribute to revert or slowing the progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study is to analyse the association between fruit and vegetables intake, quantitatively measured through carotene plasma concentrations, and atherosclerotic burden, as a surrogate biomarker of CVD, in free-living subjects from the DIABIMCAP cohort study. Methods: The 204 participants of the DIABIMCAP Study cohort (Carotid Atherosclerosis in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic Individuals, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01898572), were included in this cross-sectional study. Total, α-, and β-carotenes were quantified by HPLC-MS/MS. Lipoprotein analysis in serum was performed by 2D- 1H NMR- DOSY, and atherosclerosis and intima media thickness (IMT) were measured through standardized bilateral carotid artery ultrasound imaging. Results: Subjects with atherosclerosis (n = 134) had lower levels of large HDL particles than subjects without atherosclerosis. Positive associations were found between α-carotene and both large and medium HDL particles, and inverse associations were found between β- and total carotene, and VLDL and its medium/small particles. Subjects with atherosclerosis presented significantly lower plasma concentrations of total carotene compared with subjects without atherosclerosis. Plasma concentrations of carotene decreased as the number of atherosclerotic plaques increased, although after multivariate adjustment, the inverse association between β- and total carotene with plaque burden remained significant only in women. Conclusions: A diet rich in fruit and vegetables results in higher plasmatic carotene concentrations, which are associated with a lesser atherosclerotic plaque burden. © 2023 The Author(s)</p

Sensitive and Rapid UHPLC-MS/MS for the Analysis of Tomato Phenolics in Human Biological Samples

An UHPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of tomato phenolic metabolites in human fluids was optimized and validated, and then applied in a pilot dietary intervention study with healthy volunteers. A 5-fold gain in speed (3.5 min of total run); 7-fold increase in MS sensitivity and 2-fold greater efficiency (50% peak width reduction) were observed when comparing the proposed method with the reference-quality HPLC-MS/MS system, whose assay performance has been previously documented. The UHPLC-MS/MS method led to an overall improvement in the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for all the phenolic compounds studied. The recoveries ranged between 68% and 100% in urine and 61% and 100% in plasma. The accuracy; intra- and interday precision; and stability met with the acceptance criteria of the AOAC International norms. Due to the improvements in the analytical method; the total phenolic metabolites detected in plasma and urine in the pilot intervention study were 3 times higher than those detected by HPLC-MS/MS. Comparing with traditional methods; which require longer time of analysis; the methodology described is suitable for the analysis of phenolic compounds in a large number of plasma and urine samples in a reduced time frame

5-cis-, Trans- and Total Lycopene Plasma Concentrations Inversely Relate to Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Subjects

Diabetic subjects are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis, the common soil of most of the cardiovascular complications, is more prevalent and extensive in this population due not only to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, but also to inflammation and oxidative stress. Lycopenes are bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities mostly supplied by tomato and tomato byproducts. We investigated the association between circulating lycopenes and carotid plaque burden in diabetic patients, in a cross-sectional study in 105 newly diagnosed diabetic subjects. Atheroma plaque (wall thickness ≥ 1.5 mm), number of plaques, and plaque burden (sum of maximum heights of all plaques) were assessed by sonographic evaluation of carotid arteries. Plasma lycopenes (5-cis-, 9-cis-, 13-cis-, and trans-lycopene) were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry HPLC-MS. Atheroma plaque was observed in 75 participants, from which 38 presented one plaque and 37 two or more carotid plaques. No differences were observed in the plasmatic concentrations of lycopenes between subjects with and without atherosclerotic plaque presence. However, plaque burden was inversely associated with 5-cis-lycopene, all cis-lycopene isomers, trans-lycopene, and total lycopene isomers (all, p < 0.05). High plasma levels of lycopenes inversely relate to atherosclerotic burden. We provide novel evidence that suggests that the consumption of compounds found in tomato and tomato byproducts might be beneficial for the prevention of atherosclerosis

Moderate Consumption of Beer (with and without Ethanol) and Menopausal Symptoms: Results from a Parallel Clinical Trial in Postmenopausal Women

The menopausal transition can be a challenging period for women's health and a trigger of uncomfortable symptoms. Beer is the main food source of isoxanthohumol, a precursor of 8-prenylnaringenin, the strongest phytoestrogen identified to date. As phytoestrogens are reported to reduce perimenopausal symptoms, we evaluated if a daily moderate consumption of beer with (AB) and without alcohol (NAB) could improve menopausal symptoms and modify cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 37 postmenopausal women were enrolled in a parallel controlled intervention trial and assigned to three study groups: 16 were administered AB (330 mL/day), 7 NAB (660 mL/day), and 14 were in the control group. After a 6-month follow-up of the 34 participants who finished the trial, both interventions (AB and NAB) significantly reduced the severity of the menopause-related symptoms (p-value AB vs. Control: 0.009; p-value NAB vs. Control: 0.033). Moreover, AB had a beneficial net effect on psychological menopausal discomforts compared to the control group. As the sex hormone profile did not differ significantly between the study groups, the effects of both types of beers (AB and NAB) are attributed to the non-alcoholic fraction of beer. Furthermore, moderate NAB consumption improved the lipid profile and decreased blood pressure in postmenopausal women. View Full-Text Keywords: phytoestrogens; prenylflavonoids; polyphenols; health; menopause; alcohol; cardiovascular risk factor

Tomato sauce enriched with olive oil exerts greater effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors than raw tomato and tomato sauce: a randomized trial

Epidemiological studies have observed a negative association between tomato intake and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. As tomato sauces are usually cooked with the addition of oil, some studies have pointed out that both processes may increase the bioavailability of the bioactive compounds. However, the effect of consumption of raw tomatoes and tomato sauces on inflammation biomarkers and adhesion molecules related to atherosclerosis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to test the postprandial effects of a single dose of raw tomatoes (RT), tomato sauce (TS) and tomato sauce with refined olive oil (TSOO) on cardiovascular disease risk factors. We performed an open, prospective, randomized, cross-over, controlled feeding trial in 40 healthy subjects who randomly received: 7.0 g of RT/kg of body weight (BW), 3.5 g of TS/kg BW, 3.5 g of TSOO/Kg BW and 0.25 g of sugar solved in water/kg BW on a single occasion on four different days. Biochemical parameters and cellular and circulating inflammatory biomarkers were assessed at baseline and 6 h after each intervention. The results indicate that, compared to control intervention, a single tomato intake in any form decreased plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and several cellular and plasma inflammatory biomarkers, and increased plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol and interleukine (IL) 10 concentrations. However, the changes of plasma IL-6 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) from T-lymphocytes and CD36 from monocytes were significantly greater after TSOO than after RT and TS interventions. We concluded that tomato intake has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, especially cooked and enriched with oil