Interplay between the (Poly)phenol Metabolome, Gut Microbiome, and Cardiovascular Health in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study from the TwinsUK Cohort
Yong Li,
Yifan Xu,
Caroline Le Roy,
Jiaying Hu,
Claire J. Steves,
Jordana T. Bell,
Tim D. Spector,
Rachel Gibson,
Cristina Menni,
Ana Rodriguez-Mateos
Affiliations
Yong Li
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Yifan Xu
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Caroline Le Roy
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Jiaying Hu
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Claire J. Steves
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Jordana T. Bell
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Tim D. Spector
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Rachel Gibson
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Cristina Menni
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Ana Rodriguez-Mateos
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Background: Dietary (poly)phenol consumption is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in epidemiological studies, but little is known about the role of the gut microbiome in this relationship. Methods: In 200 healthy females, aged 62.0 ± 10.0 years, from the TwinsUK cohort, 114 individual (poly)phenol metabolites were measured from spot urine using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The associations between metabolites, the gut microbiome (alpha diversity and genera), and cardiovascular scores were investigated using linear mixed models adjusting age, BMI, fibre, energy intake, family relatedness, and multiple testing (FDR p p p p = 0.02). Mediation analysis showed that genus 5-7N15 mediated 23.8% of the total effect of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid on the ASCVD score. Conclusions: Coffee, tea, red wine, and several vegetables and fruits, especially berries, are the most abundant food sources of phenolic acids that have the strongest associations with CVD risk. We found that the gut microbiome, particularly the genus 5-7N15, partially mediates the negative association between urinary (poly)phenols and cardiovascular risk, supporting a key role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of dietary (poly)phenols.