title: Polyphenols, dietary sources and bioavailability.
abstract: Fruit and beverages such as tea and red wine represent the main sources of polyphenols. Despite their wide distribution, the healthy effects of dietary polyphenols have come to the attention of nutritionists only in the last years. The main factor responsible for the delayed research on polyphenols is the variety and the complexity of their chemical structure. Emerging findings suggest a large number of potential mechanisms of action of polyphenols in preventing disease, which may be independent of their conventional antioxidant activities. To establish evidence for the effects of polyphenol consumption on human health and to better identify which polyphenols provide the greatest effectiveness in disease prevention, it is first of all essential to determine the nature and the distribution of these compounds in our diet, and secondly to better know their bioavailability.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale per la Qualità degli Alimenti e per i Rischi Alimentari, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. maxdar@iss.it
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Archivio
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Filesi
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Benedetto
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Masella
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D001682:Biological Availability; D004032:Diet; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D059808:Polyphenols; D013662:Tea; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D013662:Tea