title: Pleiotropic-acting nutrients require integrative investigational approaches: the example of flavonoids.
abstract: Assessment of the health effects of dietary interventions in humans poses a particular challenge to nutritional and clinical scientists. In contrast to drugs possessing a well-defined molecular mechanism of action, food-derived components act in subtle and pleiotropic ways by nature. Moreover, dietary compounds are mainly not intended to cure a disease but to prevent or beneficially affect situations when the physiology gets slightly out of homeostasis. By the example of a recent clinical pilot study, this paper illustrates an endeavor to find new strategies for the detection of health effects of flavonoids in the human vasculature. Integration of a meticulously selected cluster of relevant biomarkers eventually enabled the beneficial vascular health effects of flavonoids to be revealed. A critical appraisal of this approach for the future is provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Maastricht University , P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.weseler@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Antje R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Weseler
authors.forename: Aalt
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bast
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids