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Urinary excretion of 13 dietary flavonoids and phenolic acids in free-living healthy subjects – variability and possible use as biomarkers of polyphenol intake

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 519–525 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

Estimation of dietary intake of polyphenols is difficult, due to limited availability of food composition data and bias inherent to dietary assessment methods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether we could detect polyphenols and their metabolites in a spot urine sample in a free-living human population and whether it was related to those observed in 24-h urine samples, for potential use as a biomarkers of polyphenol intake.

Subjects:

Four 24-h urine samples and two spot urine samples were collected from 154 participants of the SU.VI.MAX cohort (a randomized primary-prevention trial evaluating the effect of daily antioxidant supplementation on chronic diseases) in two separate studies over, respectively, a 7- and 2-day periods. Thirteen polyphenols and metabolites (chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeic acid (CA), m-coumaric acid (mCOU), gallic acid (GA), 4-O-methylgallic acid (MeGA), quercetin (Q), isorhamnetin (MeQ), kaempferol (K), hesperetin (HESP), naringenin (NAR), phloretin (PHLOR), enterolactone (ENL) and enterodiol (END) were measured using HPLC-ESI-MS-MS.

Results:

Correlations between the urinary excretion levels were observed. The most significant were explained by metabolic filiations (CGA/CA, CA/mCOU, GA/MeGA, Q/MeQ, NAR/PHLOR, ENL/END) or co-occurrence in a same food source (NAR/HESP). Concentrations in spot samples correlated with those in 24-h urine sample (P<0.02, except for CA and for MeQ). Intra-individual variations were smaller than inter-individual variations for all polyphenols (P<0.01) except for MeGA and for PHLOR.

Conclusion:

These results show that these polyphenols and metabolites are useful biomarkers for polyphenol intake.

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Acknowledgements

This project received a grant from the French Ministry of Research (N° 02 P 0681). Special thanks to Unilever Bestfoods France (UBF), the ‘Centre d’Information Scientifique Thé & Santé de Lipton', UBF and the Agence Pour la Recherche et l'Information en Fruits et Légumes frais (APRIFEL) for financial support. We thank the Dunn Human Nutrition Unit (UK) who provided us the PABA tablets for the study and Sandrine Bertrais for revising the article, and also Ministry of Agriculture, Unilever-Bestfoods France, APRIFEL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U557 Inserm, U1125 Inra, Cnam, Paris 13/CRNH I-d-F, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, Bobigny, France

    L I Mennen, D Sapinho, P Galan & S Hercberg

  2. Unité de Nutrition Humaine, INRA, Centre de Recherche de Clermont-Theix, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France

    H Ito & A Scalbert

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  1. L I Mennen
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  2. D Sapinho
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  3. H Ito
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  4. P Galan
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  5. S Hercberg
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  6. A Scalbert
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Correspondence to A Scalbert.

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Guarantor:A Scalbert.

Contributors: LIM designed the study, participated in the statistical analyses and wrote the paper, DS performed the data handling and the statistical analyses, HI developed the analytical methods and performed the polyphenol analyses, PG and SH designed and supervised the SU.VI.MAX study and AS participated in the study design and initiated the development of the analytical methods. All contributors participated in the writing of the paper.

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Mennen, L., Sapinho, D., Ito, H. et al. Urinary excretion of 13 dietary flavonoids and phenolic acids in free-living healthy subjects – variability and possible use as biomarkers of polyphenol intake. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 519–525 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602744

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