Introduction: There is an urgent need to promote healthy and sustainable diets tailored to the preferences and cultures of different populations. In this scenario, the EAT-Lancet commission has recently proposed a healthy and sustainable reference diet potentially adaptable to every food context. Within the MIND Foods Hub project, we have developed a Mediterranean-adapted planetary diet for Italian population (EAT-IT) based on 2500 kcal, but further efforts should be made to develop dietary patterns for other energy targets or tailored to the specific need of vulnerable target groups.

: In recent years, the increasing number of studies on polyphenol demonstrates the e ff orts in elucidating the potential role of these bioactives on human health. This study reviews the main topics and characteristics of clinical trials on polyphenols registered over the last 20 years, in order to track past and current e ff orts as well as to highlight the main research gaps in this field. The review was conducted by collecting trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) registry. Overall, 750 clinical trials were selected and included in the final evaluation. Most of the trials were performed on extracts or pure compounds followed by studies conducted on polyphenol-rich foods, in particular berries. A total of 520 clinical trials focused on health e ff ects, 55 on bioavailability, and 175 on both. Regarding outcomes, 139 registered intervention studies had the lipid profile and blood pressure as primary outcomes. The overview provided by this analysis also emphasizes the emerging interest in new outcomes related to polyphenols intervention such as microbiota composition and the evaluation of inter-individual variability in response to the intake of polyphenols. Our review underlines the need of further trials covering unexplored or debated research aspects and provides insights for the design and development of future intervention studies and related research areas.

27 Background & aim: Increased intestinal permeability (IP) can occur in older people and contribute to 28 the activation of the immune system and inflammation. 29 Dietary interventions may represent a potential strategy to reduce IP. In this regard, specific food 30 bioactives such as polyphenols have been proposed as potential IP modulator due to their ability to 31 affect several critical targets and pathways that control IP. 32 The trial aimed to test the hypothesis that a polyphenol-rich dietary pattern can decrease IP and 33 beneficially alter IP-associated biochemical and clinical markers in older subjects. 34 Methods: A randomised, controlled, cross-over intervention trial was performed. Sixty-six subjects 35 (aged ≥ 60 y) with increased IP based on serum zonulin levels, were randomly allocated to one of the 36 two arms of the intervention consisting of a control diet (C-diet) vs. a polyphenol-rich diet (PR-diet). 37 Each intervention was 8-week long and separated by an 8-week wash out period. At the beginning and 38 at the end of each intervention period, serum samples were collected for the quantification of zonulin 39 and other biological markers. In addition, anthropometrical/physical/biochemical parameters and food 40 intake were evaluated. 41 Results: Fifty-one subjects successfully completed the intervention and a high compliance to the 42 dietary protocols was demonstrated. Overall, polyphenol intake significantly increased from a mean of 43 812 mg/day in the C diet to 1391 mg/day in the PR-diet. Two-way analysis of variance showed a 44 significant effect of treatment (p = 0.008) and treatment x time interaction (p = 0.025) on serum zonulin 45 levels, which decreased after the 8-week PR-diet. In addition, a treatment x time interaction was 46 observed, showing a reduction of diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.028) following the PR-diet, that was 47 underlined in women (p = 0.043) showing also a decrease of systolic blood pressure (p = 0.042). A trend towards a reduction of total cholesterol was observed (time effect, p = 0.039) following both 49 interventions. The efficacy of reduction was also stronger among subjects with higher body mass index and insulin resistance at baseline, thus demonstrating the close interplay between IP and metabolic features. Conclusions: These data show, for the first time, that PR-diet can reduce IP evaluated as serum zonulin levels. These findings may represent an initial breakthrough for further intervention studies evaluating possible dietary treatments for the management of IP in different target populations. This study was registered at www.isrctn.org as

27 Context Berries are a source of polyphenols with recognised health-promoting activities. Objective 28 The aim of this systematic review is to provide evidence of short and long-term benefits of berries on 29 vascular function. Data sources Human intervention studies were collected from PubMed and Scopus 30 databases Data extraction After selection, 22 randomized-controlled trials were included and 31 analyzed. Most of them were performed in healthy subjects or individuals with cardiovascular risk 32 factors. Results The overall results seem to suggest a protective role of berries on vascular function 33 even if dependent on time of exposure, type and dose of berry and biomarkers analysed. Flow 34 mediated dilation and reactive hyperaemia index (markers of vascular reactivity) improved following 35 short-term interventions, while pulse wave velocity and augmentation index (markers of arterial 36 stiffness) only after medium-long term studies. Conclusions In conclusion, the current evidence 37 suggests that berries, at physiological relevant doses, may have a role in the modulation of vascular 38 function and stiffness. High-quality human intervention trials are encouraged in order to strengthen 39 these findings and to better elucidate the mechanisms involved in such modulation. 40

The gut microbiota is involved in the regulation of the intestinal permeability (IP), whose disruption is a frequent condition in older people and is associated with the development of several diseases. The diet can affect the gut microbiota and IP, although the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. Metabolomics is one of the suitable approaches to study the effects of diet on gut microbiota and IP, although, up to now, the research has focused only on a few dietary components. The aim here was to review the most recent literature concerning the application of metabolomics to the study of the diet-induced alterations of gut microbiota and the effects on IP, with a particular focus on the molecular pathways involved. An additional aim was to give a perspective on the future research involving dietary polyphenols, because despite their potential use in the management of increased IP, few studies have been reported to date.

Objectives: Dyslipidemia is the major cause for atherosclerosis and is associated to an increase of oxidative stress. Children affected by primary dyslipidemia may run an additional risk to develop CVD during adulthood. Diet rich in unsaturated fatty acids and bioactives can positively influence the blood lipid profile and the antioxidant status. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of daily intake of hazelnuts consumed as a snack, on lipid profile, erythrocytes fatty acid composition and markers of oxidative stress in dyslipidemic children.

The present study examined the effect of wild blueberries on oxidative stress, the inflammatory response and DNA damage associated with exercise in untrained individuals. Ten sedentary males, aged 21-26 years, completed two single bouts of treadmill exercise at 70% of their VO2max. One bout occurred prior to, and one occurred following daily consumption of 300 g of wild blueberries for eight weeks. Blood samples were drawn during both exercise bouts and assayed for measures of oxidative stress (manganese-superoxide dismutase: Mn-SOD), inflammation (tumour necrosis factor-alpha: TNF-α and interleukin-6: IL-6) and DNA damage (comet assay). Blood samples were obtained immediately pre-exercise, and post exercise at 0, 30 and 60 min, and 3 and 6 h. A significant interaction between pre- and post-intervention over time was detected in plasma Mn-SOD concentration. Post hoc comparisons showed no significant differences between time points pre- and post-intervention, although plasma Mn-SOD concentration showed a moderate trend 30 min after exercise with wild blueberry consumption (P=0.072). A significant increase in IL-6 was observed for time (at 30 min and 1 h) following exercise, both pre- and post-intervention. No significant differences were seen in DNA damage or TNF-α either with exercise or the intervention. This study demonstrates that a single bout of exercise at 70% of VO2max is sufficient to cause a significant increase in inflammation in untrained individuals. The trend for Mn-SOD concentration to decrease after exercise post-intervention indicates a potential benefit of wild blueberries to increase antioxidant capacity and reduce oxidative stress.

It has been suggested that several dietary compounds may improve endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress induced by smoking. We investigated the effects of acute smoking on blood pressure, heart rate (HR), peripheral arterial function (reactive hyperemia index, RHI), and arterial stiffness in young smokers by Endo-PAT2000. Twenty subjects that smoked an average of 15 cigarettes per day participated in the study. Reactive Hyperemia Index, arterial stiffness, blood pressure and HR were assessed before and after smoking one cigarette. Acute smoking significantly reduced RHI by 28% while increased arterial systolic (+14%) and diastolic (+10%) blood pressure and HR (+13%) at 5 min, while no effect was observed after 30 min. Arterial stiffness was not significantly affected. A significant, positive correlation was found between total serum cholesterol concentration and post-smoking arterial stiffness values. This study demonstrates that acute cigarette smoking impairs RHI and vital signs in young moderate smokers as evaluated through a non-invasive technique. Additionally, the experimental model described, where a decrease of RHI is induced by cigarette smoking, may be useful to study the impact of dietary vasoactive compounds on endothelial function.

Background and aims: We have previously reported that wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)-enriched diets (WB) attenuate aortic adrenergic response through endothelial-mediated pathways. The duration of dietary intervention necessary to induce the positive changes on vasomotor tone has not been studied to date. Thus, our objective was to investigate the temporal effect of WB consumption on vascular function and reactivity in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat aorta after 4 and 7 weeks of dietary treatment.Methods and results: Forty male SD rats were randomly assigned to a control (AIN-93) (C) or a WB diet for 4 or 7 weeks. Vascular ring studies were conducted in 3-mm isolated rat aortic rings to investigate vasoconstriction induced by six doses of the alpha(1)- adrenergic agonist, L-phenylephrine (Phe, 10(-8)-3 x 10(-6) M) alone or in the presence of the NOS inhibitor, L-N-G-monomethyl-arginine (L-NMMA, 10(-4) M). The maximum force of contraction (F-max) and vessel sensitivity (pD(2)) were determined. Analysis of variance revealed no significant differences on Fmax after 4 weeks of the WB diet but only a significant increase in pD(2) in the absence of L-NMMA. Seven week WB consumption significantly attenuated contraction in response to L-Phe and resulted in lower pD(2). Inhibition of NOS induced a significant increase in the constrictor response in both diet groups at both time periods, with the WB group fed for 7 weeks having the greater response.Conclusion: Thus wild blueberries incorporated into the diet at 8% w/w positively affect vascular smooth muscle contractility and sensitivity but these effects are evident only after 7 weeks of WB consumption. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND:Cruciferous vegetables have been suggested to protect against various cancers, though the issue is open to discussion. To further understand their role, we analyzed data from a network of case-control studies conducted in Italy and Switzerland.PATIENTS AND METHODS:The studies included a total of 1468 cancers of the oral cavity/pharynx, 505 of the esophagus, 230 of the stomach, 2390 of the colorectum, 185 of the liver, 326 of the pancreas, 852 of the larynx, 3034 of the breast, 367 of the endometrium, 1031 of the ovary, 1294 of the prostate, 767 of the kidney, and 11,492 controls. All cancers were incident, histologically confirmed; controls were subjects admitted to the same network of hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute nonneoplastic conditions.RESULTS:The multivariate odds ratio (OR) for consumption of cruciferous vegetables at least once a week as compared with no/occasional consumption was significantly reduced for cancer of the oral cavity/pharynx (OR=0.83), esophagus (OR=0.72), colorectum (OR=0.83), breast (OR=0.83), and kidney (OR=0.68). The OR was below unity, but not significant, for stomach (OR=0.90), liver (OR=0.72), pancreatic (OR=0.90), laryngeal (OR=0.84), endometrial (OR=0.93), ovarian (OR=0.91), and prostate (OR=0.87) cancer.CONCLUSION:This large series of studies provides additional evidence of a favorable effect of cruciferous vegetables on several common cancers.

Objective: To analyze the effect of the juice obtained from two varieties of sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck), Moro (a blood orange) and Navelina (a blond orange), on fat accumulation in mice fed a standard or a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: Obesity was induced in male C57/Bl6 mice by feeding a HFD. Moro and Navelina juices were provided instead of water. The effect of an anthocyanin-enriched extract from Moro oranges or purified cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) was also analyzed. Body weight and food intake were measured regularly over a 12-week period. The adipose pads were weighted and analyzed histologically; total RNA was also isolated for microarray analysis. Results: Dietary supplementation of Moro juice, but not Navelina juice significantly reduced body weight gain and fat accumulation regardless of the increased energy intake because of sugar content. Furthermore, mice drinking Moro juice were resistant to HFD-induced obesity with no alterations in food intake. Only the anthocyanin extract, but not the purified C3G, slightly affected fat accumulation. High-throughput gene expression analysis of fat tissues confirmed that Moro juice could entirely rescue the high fat-induced transcriptional reprogramming. Conclusion: Moro juice anti-obesity effect on fat accumulation cannot be explained only by its anthocyanin content. Our findings suggest that multiple components present in the Moro orange juice might act synergistically to inhibit fat accumulation.