Research
Mixed
Polyphenols can modulate the gut microbiota composition (acting as prebiotics) by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, while inhibiting others through antimicrobial activity.
Eating polyphenol-rich foods like berries, tea, or cocoa can help feed good gut bacteria (Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) and suppress bad ones, improving your gut ecosystem.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Polyphenols and particularly hydrolyzable and condensed tannins, promote the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in different in vitro models, preclinical and human intervention studies... Different mechanisms explaining the modulating effects of polyphenols have been suggested such as being a source of sugar... but also antimicrobial activity...
Why this rating
Supported by 'different in vitro models, preclinical and human intervention studies'.
Source
Where to Look into the Puzzle of Polyphenols and Health? The Postbiotics and Gut Microbiota Associated with Human Metabotypes
Adrián Cortés‐Martín et al. · Molecular Nutrition & Food Research · 2020
DOI 10.1002/mnfr.201900952
narrative_reviewCited 276×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- The health benefits of dietary polyphenols are not determined by the polyphenols themselves, but by the specific microbial metabolites (postbiotics) produced by an individual's gut microbiota, leading to significant inter-individual variability in health outcomes.Moderate
- Specific gut microbiota metabotypes (such as Equol producers or Urolithin-A producers) are associated with distinct health outcomes, including potential benefits for menopausal symptoms, cardiovascular health, and inflammation, whereas non-producers may see no benefit or different effects.Moderate
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