As more individuals become increasingly aware of their health and dietary choices, they are discovering a variety of options to enhance digestive well-being. Understanding the dos and don’ts is crucial since gut health significantly impacts overall wellness.
Nutritionist Bhakti Kapoor highlights the evolving perception of polyphenols, once seen merely as antioxidants but now recognized as providers of prebiotic nourishment for the microbiome. Kapoor emphasizes this revelation in microbiome science through an Instagram post, underlining the vital role of polyphenols.
Polyphenols, as defined by Healthline.com, constitute a group of plant compounds with the potential to enhance digestion, promote brain health, and offer protection against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Noteworthy sources of polyphenols include red wine, dark chocolate, tea, and berries.
Kapoor, drawing from numerous studies on the polyphenol-gut microbiome relationship, advocates regular consumption of polyphenol-rich foods for improved gut health and immune function. Her recommendations encompass fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, dark chocolate, and wine.
Polyphenols exhibit antioxidant properties, neutralizing harmful free radicals that could otherwise damage cells and increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, according to Kapoor. Furthermore, polyphenols contribute to reducing inflammation and play a role in preventing and treating autoimmune diseases like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
Supporting this perspective, Dr. Archana Juneja, an endocrinologist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, emphasizes the positive impact of polyphenols on the gut microbiome. By mitigating the effects of free radicals and reactive oxygen species, polyphenols reduce systemic inflammation and insulin resistance, thereby protecting against lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
Nutritionist Reema Kinjalkar from Urban Platter adds that polyphenols contribute to safeguarding heart health due to their potent antioxidant properties, which reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and decrease LDL cholesterol levels. Additionally, they mitigate the risk of blood clot formation. Kinjalkar notes that polyphenols also improve glucose tolerance, reduce fasting blood sugar levels, and enhance insulin sensitivity, all crucial factors in lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Kapoor enumerates the benefits of polyphenols in eight key points, emphasizing their role in reducing inflammation, combating oxidative stress, nourishing the gut microbiome, enhancing brain health, lowering blood sugar levels, promoting good gut health, fighting against cancer, and reducing the risk of heart disease. In terms of food sources, fruits like apples, grapes, pomegranates, strawberries, plums, vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and spinach, and nuts/seeds like almonds, flax seeds, and walnuts are rich in polyphenols.
