Wine Information Council

Low grade inflammation is characterized by raised concentrations of inflammatory markers in the absence of any overt symptoms and is recognized as a risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Many studies suggest that low grade inflammation is mitigated by health promoting behaviours such as healthy eating patterns, physical activity, body weight maintenance and tobacco cessation. To date, large scale studies were mainly focused on circulating markers and little evidence is available on cellular biomarkers.

The MOLI-SANI study is a prospective cohort study that has recruited 24 325 men and women aged >/=35 years from the general population of the Molise Region, a Southern Italian area, with the purpose of investigating genetic and environmental risk/protection factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and cancer. Within this cohort, a composite score of low grade inflammation based on the use of plasmatic (C-reactive protein) and cellular (leukocyte and platelet counts and granulocyte : lymphocyte ratio) biomarkers has been proposed and validated. This score accounts for all possible synergistic effects of such inflammatory markers, thus overcoming any potential bias linked to the multi-collinearity of these variables.

Of notice, the MOLI-SANI study was the first to address the relationship between the traditional Mediterranean diet and platelet and leucocyte counts as emerging cellular biomarkers of low grade inflammation. The present review paper will discuss the main findings derived from the MOLI-SANI study on the association of low grade inflammation with a Mediterranean eating pattern, with a particular emphasis on the associated dietary polyphenols.

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is one of the most widely described and evaluated dietary patterns in scientific literature. It is characterized by high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and a moderate intake of red wine. A large body of observational and experimental evidence suggests that higher adherence to the MedDiet is associated with lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and cancer.

Current mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of the MedDiet include reduction of blood lipids, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, improvement of insulin sensitivity, enhancement of endothelial function, and antithrombotic function. Most likely, these effects are attributable to bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, or fibre.

This review will focus on both established and less established mechanisms of action of biochemical compounds contained in a MedDiet. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on The Pharmacology of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.6/issuetoc.

Polyphenols are antioxidants contained in plants as olive and grape. As part of the Mediterranean diet, they may decrease the risk of cancer, of chronic and neurodegenerative diseases. Alcohol consumption plays a detrimental effect on health, causing tissue damage and disrupting the metabolism of Neurotrophins (NTs). NTs are crucial proteins for the life cycle of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Alcohol abuse elicits changes in NTs levels in the brain and in other target organs, however, it was observed minor damage in animals early exposed to red wine, probably due to the antioxidant effects of polyphenols. Indeed, data show that resveratrol or other polyphenols extracted from the olive can effectively counteract serum free radicals’ formation caused by chronic alcohol intake, contrasting also alcohol-induced NTs liver elevation. The aim of the present review is to update pieces of evidences about the antioxidant properties of polyphenols and their role in counteracting alcohol-induced damage.

BACKGROUND: Effects of resveratrol on metabolic health have been studied in several short-term human clinical trials, with conflicting results. Next to dose, the duration of the clinical trials may explain the lack of effect in some studies, but long-term studies are still limited. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of 6-mo resveratrol supplementation on metabolic health outcome parameters. METHODS: Forty-one overweight men and women (BMI: 27-35 kg/m2; aged 40-70 y) completed the study. In this parallel-group, double-blind clinical trial, participants were randomized to receive either 150 mg/d of resveratrol (n = 20) or placebo (n = 21) for 6 mo. The primary outcome of the study was insulin sensitivity, using the Matsuda index. Secondary outcome measures were intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content, body composition, resting energy metabolism, blood pressure, plasma markers, physical performance, quality of life, and quality of sleep. Postintervention differences between the resveratrol and placebo arms were evaluated by ANCOVA adjusting for corresponding preintervention variables. RESULTS: Preintervention, no differences were observed between the 2 treatment arms. Insulin sensitivity was not affected after 6 mo of resveratrol treatment (adjusted mean Matsuda index: 5.18 +/- 0.35 in the resveratrol arm compared with 5.50 +/- 0.34 in the placebo arm), although there was a significant difference in postintervention glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between the arms (P = 0.007). The adjusted means showed that postintervention HbA1c was lower on resveratrol (35.8 +/- 0.43 mmol/mol) compared with placebo (37.6 +/- 0.44 mmol/mol). No postintervention differences were found in IHL, body composition, blood pressure, energy metabolism, physical performance, or quality of life and sleep between treatment arms. CONCLUSIONS: After 6 mo of resveratrol supplementation, insulin sensitivity was unaffected in the resveratrol arm compared with the placebo arm. Nonetheless, HbA1c was lower in overweight men and women in the resveratrol arm. This trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02565979.