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Prebiotics are substrates selectively metabolized by hindgut microorganisms conferring health benefits. Recent studies suggest polyphenols as candidate to prebiotics. Thus, this systematic review aimed to investigate the prebiotic effect of dietary polyphenols in preclinical and clinical studies. Animal studies demonstrated that the consumption of polyphenols, especially catechins, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, increases the abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Roseburia, and Faecalibacterium spp. Moreover, polyphenols supplementation increased the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), including butyrate. The included clinical trials showed an increased abundance of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium spp., and a reduction in plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein after the consumption of anthocyanins and ellagic acid. In conclusion, there is strong evidence in preclinical studies that dietary polyphenols can stimulate both the growth of microorganisms identified as prebiotic targets and an increase in the production of SCFA. Therefore, clinical trials are warranted to investigate the prebiotic effect of dietary polyphenols on humans.
Alves et al. (Mon,) studied this question.