Gut microbiota as a driver of the interindividual variability of cardiometabolic effects from tea polyphenols

Abstract

Tea polyphenols have been extensively studied for their preventive properties against cardiometabolic diseases. Nevertheless, the evidence of these effects from human intervention studies is not always consistent, mainly because of a large interindividual variability. The bioavailability of tea polyphenols is low, and metabolism of tea polyphenols highly depends on individual gut microbiota. The accompanying reciprocal relationship between tea polyphenols and gut microbiota may result in alterations in the cardiometabolic effects, however, the underlying mechanism of which is little explored. This review summarizes tea polyphenols-microbiota interaction and its contribution to interindividual variability in cardiometabolic effects. Currently, only a few bacteria that can biodegrade tea polyphenols have been identified and generated metabolites and their bioactivities in metabolic pathways are not fully elucidated. A deeper understanding of the role of complex interaction necessitates fully individualized data, the ntegration of multiple-omics platforms and development of polyphenol-centered databases. Knowledge of this microbial contribution will enable the functional stratification of individuals in the gut microbiota profile (metabotypes) to clarify interindividual variability in the health effects of tea polyphenols. This could be used to predict individual responses to tea polyphenols consumption, hence bringing us closer to personalized nutrition with optimal dose and additional supplementation of specific microorganisms.

Keywords:

• Catechins
• bioavailability
• bioactivity
• metabolism
• microbial metabolites
• metabotypes

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Stanley Omondi Onyango and Florence Van Herreweghen for their comments on an earlier versions of this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the China Scholarship Council under Grant 201806820010; Ghent University Preference Program at CSC under Grant BOF18/CHN/064; Ghent University Special Research Fund under Grant BOF17/GOA/032.