Polyphenols: the natural chemicals that could give you a small waist,

There’s a new buzzword in town when it comes to health: polyphenols. While scientists have been investigating the plant compounds for years, the term has now caught the public imagination – and for good reason.

A growing body of evidence shows that eating a diet high in these clever natural chemicals offers numerous health benefits, improving everything from heart and metabolic health to lowering the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

There is also research that suggests eating more polyphenols can slow down the signs of skin ageing and reduce waist size.

Polyphenols are a group of phytonutrients (though the terms are often and erroneously used interchangeably), naturally occurring chemicals in plants that help to protect them in nature from threats such as insects and UV light, and, as it turns out, also help to protect us when we eat them.

They are found in high concentrations in fruits and vegetables with deep or vivid colours such as beetroot, blackberries, black olives, very red tomatoes and dark, leafy greens. As well as protecting the plant, phytonutrients – including polyphenols – also provide it with a strong pigment. The same is true for strong tastes: the more cough-inducing an extra virgin olive oil, the higher the likely concentration of polyphenols. Tea, coffee and dark chocolate are excellent sources.

There are thousands of types of phytonutrients – we haven’t discovered them all – such as resveratrol in red wine, ellagic acid in walnuts and catechins in tea. And single ingredients have multiple phytonutrients – tomatoes contain polyphenols (flavonoids and flavanones) as well as carotenoids (lycopene, phytoene and beta carotene).

Trials have shown they all do different things for our health. “The flavanols in cocoa are linked to reduced risk of stroke and heart attack,” explains Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at health science app Zoe and research fellow at the School of Public Health, Imperial College London. “Catechins in green tea can positively affect your metabolism, waist circumference and body mass index. And I really love the research around the polyphenols in hibiscus [reducing] blood pressure.”

Polyphenols, she says, are amazing, revealing the complexity of the plants we eat. “Plants don’t just offer us fibre and vitamins – there’s a huge world of compounds that have a beneficial impact on our health.”

Daniele Del Rio, professor of human nutrition at the University of Parma, Italy, says: “Several observational studies have shown that a higher intake of dietary polyphenols is associated with a reduced risk of numerous chronic diseases.” For example, one study found that those who reported eating diets rich in polyphenols had a 46% lower risk of developing heart disease than those who ate the least.

There is evidence that the consumption of polyphenols can increase blood flow to the brain as well as reduce inflammation in the body, which is why they’re thought to have the potential to combat neurodegenerative diseases.

However, our understanding of exactly how these compounds work is not yet complete.

“The mechanisms by which they operate in our bodies remain under investigation, and many researchers are approaching this issue from an incorrect perspective, neglecting how these compounds are significantly altered by our bodies,” says Del Rio. “There is still much work to be done.”

Polyphenols may be good for us because of the way they interact with, and are transformed by, our gut microbes, which effectively use them as food. Together with colleagues at Parma and the University of Glasgow, Del Rio has shown that our gut microbes turn polyphenols into “smaller, more absorbable metabolites” that help to support the body. “This research has paved the way for more rigorous studies devoted to understanding what they really do to protect us,” he says.

In fact, it is likely that a new public appetite for all things gut health has propelled polyphenols back into the spotlight. “There was a huge boom in interest in the 90s, particularly in red wine and the ‘French paradox’, which drove a lot of research into the polyphenol resveratrol,” says Amati.

Now, with more widespread awareness of the microbes in our intestines and an increased focus on the role food plays in our health more generally, polyphenols have re-entered the conversation.

Experts say the best approach is to eat a variety of plants to get a wide range of phytonutrients. This means fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

“Herbs and spices are some of the most concentrated sources, with cloves containing 16,000mg of polyphenols per 100g and cinnamon at 9,700mg per 100g,” says microbiome expert, Emily Leeming. “It doesn’t have to be expensive. Wild blueberries – 650mg/100g – get a lot of polyphenol hype, but the truth is they contain seven times less than the more affordable black bean – 4,800mg/100g.”

Del Rio has been fascinated by the “incredible molecules” since he began studying them for his PhD 23 years ago. “From that point on, I never stopped researching them to try to understand their chemistry and their health effects on humans. I guess there is a lot of hype at the moment, and some researchers love to use it to conduct easy science, which is not real science.

“However, if they’re studied with rigour, I believe polyphenols will teach us new ways to take care of ourselves and our health through a balanced diet. They are not the miracle compounds solving the problem of chronic diseases, but they may certainly contribute to chronic disease prevention.”

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