by Jes Williams @feelmoregooder
If you’re at all immersed in the health and nutrition space, you’ve likely heard a dietitian, nutritionist, or perhaps scientist talk about polyphenols. Polyphenols are beneficial plant compounds that naturally occur in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Dr. Rhonda Patrick has been a proponent of ingesting polyphenols for many years now, and she highlights many of the in-depth explanations through her education efforts. (8)
The National Library of Medicine defines polyphenols as: “natural compounds which are plant-based bioactive molecules”, and “secondary metabolites of plants and are generally involved in defense against ultraviolet radiation or aggression by pathogens.” (1, 2) Additionally, polyphenols in food may contribute to the bitterness, astringency, color, flavor, odor and oxidative stability of the plant itself. (2)
Research tells us that more than 8,000 polyphenol compounds have been identified in various plant species. (2) These polyphenols are divided into five different categories, based on their number of phenolic rings & structures that bring those rings together. These categories are phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, lignans, and tannins. (1)
Natural Food Sources of Polyphenols
Dietary polyphenols comprise a significant group of naturally occurring phytochemicals, and literature suggests that dietary polyphenolic compounds are connected to human vitality and prevention of a multitude of diseases. (6)
These beneficial plant compounds are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and some other plants. Specifically, fruits like grapes, apples, pears, cherries, and berries contain up to 200-300 mg of polyphenols per 100 grams.
Too, a glass of red wine, a cup of tea, and a cup of coffee contain about 100 mg of polyphenols each. Also contributing to the polyphenol content of your diet are some grains, legumes, and chocolate. (2)
Benefits of Ingesting Polyphenols
Current research supports the fact that eating a polyphenol-rich diet long term offers protection against many ailments both of the chronic and acute nature, as well as degenerative and metabolically-linked illnesses. (2)
Furthermore, sufficient polyphenol intake is linked to prevention in terms of blood sugar issues, cardiovascular ails, nervous system degeneration, bone/skeletal system degradation, compromising the gut microbiome, and overall aging. (3)
And, there is substantial evidence that specific polyphenols benefit your overall health status, especially for the prevention and management of certain chronic diseases. (3)
The literature reveals some promising implications of ingesting polyphenols, specifically flavonids:
-Improved ventricular health
-Reduced platelet activity & enzymatic modulation
-Offers anti-inflammatory effects
-Lowers blood pressure
-Increases overall vascular health
-Blocks cholesterol oxidation to reduce LDL
-Lowers risk of cardiovascular ailments
-Possesses? anti-obesigenic effects (potentially through adipocyte oxidation or inhibition of lipogenesis)
Flavanoids such as anthocyanins, catechins, flavonoids, flavones, flavanones, and isoflavones also may neutralize free radicals and decrease risk of chronic illness. (3)
Ways to Supplement Polyphenols
According to the literature, the disadvantage of polyphenols is their apparent lack of bioavailability. (1) In other words, your body cannot always assimilate and utilize these beneficial compounds in a quantity that would yield beneficial health outcomes.
For this reason, you could look to the bioavailable, functional doses of differentiated polyphenols in BrocElite, QuercElite, BerbElite, CurcElite, ResverElite, and Sleep Elite - depending on what your specific health goals and aims are. Our products here at The Mara Labs solve the bioavailability issue that is present with ingesting some foods for the goal of increasing polyphenol intake.
Studies show us that many of the compounds found in our products have beneficial properties. For instance, quercetin has free radical scavenging activity, resveratrol offers antioxidant capacity and anti-aging properties, curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties, and sulforaphane supports detoxification pathways, (1, 4, 5)
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11314462/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835915/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6160559/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7925463/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9505063/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.806470/full
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772566923000198
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/polyphenols
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