Health benefits of dietary chronobiotics: beyond resynchronizing internal clocks

Perspective on the Coevolutionary Role of Host and Gut Microbiota in Polyphenol Health Effects: Metabotypes and Precision Health

"Personalized nutrition" aims to establish nutritional strategies to improve health outcomes for non-responders. However, it is utopian since most people share similar nutritional requirements. "Precision health," encompassing lifestyles, may be more fitting. Dietary (poly)phenols are "healthy" but non-nutritional molecules (thus, we can live without them). The gut microbiota influences (poly)phenol effects, producing metabolites with different activity than their precursors. Furthermore, producing distinctive metabolites, like urolithins, lunularin, and equol, leads to the term "polyphenol-related gut microbiota metabotypes," grouping individuals based on a genuine microbial metabolism of ellagic acid, resveratrol, and isoflavones, respectively. Additionally, (poly)phenols exert prebiotic-like effects through their antimicrobial activities, typically reducing microbial diversity and modulating microbiota functionality by impacting its composition and transcriptomics. Since the gut microbiota perceives (poly)phenols as a threat, (poly)phenol effects are mostly a consequence of microbiota adaptation through differential (poly)phenol metabolism (e.g., distinctive reductions, dehydroxylations, etc.). This viewpoint is less prosaic than considering (poly)phenols as essential nutritional players in human health, yet underscores their health significance in a coevolutionary partnership with the gut microbiota. In the perspective on the gut microbiota and (poly)phenols interplay, microbiota metabotypes could arbiter health effects. An innovative aspect is also emphasized: modulating the interacting microbial networks without altering the composition.

Effects of (Poly)phenols on Circadian Clock Gene-Mediated Metabolic Homeostasis in Cultured Mammalian Cells: A Scoping Review

Circadian clocks regulate metabolic homeostasis. Disruption to our circadian clocks, by lifestyle behaviors such as timing of eating and sleeping, has been linked to increased rates of metabolic disorders. There is now considerable evidence that selected dietary (poly)phenols, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins, may modulate metabolic and circadian processes. This review evaluates the effects of (poly)phenols on circadian clock genes and linked metabolic homeostasis in vitro, and potential mechanisms of action, by critically evaluating the literature on mammalian cells. A systematic search was conducted to ensure full coverage of the literature and identified 43 relevant studies addressing the effects of (poly)phenols on cellular circadian processes. Nobiletin and tangeretin, found in citrus, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea, urolithin A, a gut microbial metabolite from ellagitannins in fruit, curcumin, bavachalcone, cinnamic acid, and resveratrol at low micromolar concentrations all affect circadian molecular processes in multiple types of synchronized cells. Nobiletin emerges as a putative retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (RORα/γ) agonist, leading to induction of the circadian regulator brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 (BMAL1), and increased period circadian regulator 2 (PER2) amplitude and period. These effects are clear despite substantial variations in the protocols employed, and this review suggests a methodological framework to help future study design in this emerging area of research.

Capsaicin ameliorates diet-induced disturbances of glucose homeostasis and gut microbiota in mice associated with the circadian clock

Glucose metabolism disorder triggered by a high-energy diet is associated with circadian disruption in the brain, peripheral tissues and gut microbiota. The present study aims to investigate the regulating effects of capsaicin (CAP) on the diet-induced disturbances of glucose homeostasis and gut microbiota in respect of circadian rhythm-related mechanisms. Our results indicated that CAP significantly ameliorated glucose metabolism disorder in mice induced by a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD). The rhythmic expressions of circadian clock genes (Bmal1, Clock, and others) and glucose metabolism-related genes (Pgc-1α, Glut2, G6pc, and Pepck) in the liver disrupted by an abnormal diet were also recovered by CAP. Microbial studies using 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that CAP modulated the structure and composition of gut microbiota and improved the circadian oscillations of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes at the phylum level and Allobaculum, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Alistipes at the genus level. Correlation analysis indicated that a close correlation existed between intestinal microbiota, hepatic circadian gene expressions and the level of glucose metabolism-related factors, indicating that CAP could alleviate HFFD-induced disturbances of glucose metabolism and gut microbiota associated with circadian clock related mechanisms.

Dietary phytochemical and metabolic disease prevention: Focus on plant proteins

Plant-based functional foods have attracted increasing research interest to validate their use in preventing metabolic disease. Since it is increasingly recognized that inflammation, oxidative stress, and circadian rhythm play vital roles in various metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic liver disease, plant proteins, protein hydrolysates, and food extracts that intervene in these biological processes are promising dietary supplements to prevent metabolic diseases. Here, we reviewed the recent research on plant-based foods used for metabolic disease prevention and provided new perspectives regarding the current study gaps and future directions in this field.

Chrononutrition-When We Eat Is of the Essence in Tackling Obesity

Obesity is a chronic and relapsing public health problem with an extensive list of associated comorbidities. The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled over the last five decades and continues to pose a serious threat to wider society and the wellbeing of future generations. The pathogenesis of obesity is complex but diet plays a key role in the onset and progression of the disease. The human diet has changed drastically across the globe, with an estimate that approximately 72% of the calories consumed today come from foods that were not part of our ancestral diets and are not compatible with our metabolism. Additionally, multiple nutrient-independent factors, e.g., cost, accessibility, behaviours, culture, education, work commitments, knowledge and societal set-up, influence our food choices and eating patterns. Much research has been focused on 'what to eat' or 'how much to eat' to reduce the obesity burden, but increasingly evidence indicates that 'when to eat' is fundamental to human metabolism. Aligning feeding patterns to the 24-h circadian clock that regulates a wide range of physiological and behavioural processes has multiple health-promoting effects with anti-obesity being a major part. This article explores the current understanding of the interactions between the body clocks, bioactive dietary components and the less appreciated role of meal timings in energy homeostasis and obesity.

Effect of the Citrus Flavone Nobiletin on Circadian Rhythms and Metabolic Syndrome

The importance of the circadian clock in maintaining human health is now widely acknowledged. Dysregulated and dampened clocks may be a common cause of age-related diseases and metabolic syndrome Thus, circadian clocks should be considered as therapeutic targets to mitigate disease symptoms. This review highlights a number of dietary compounds that positively affect the maintenance of the circadian clock. Notably the polymethoxyflavone nobiletin has shown some encouraging results in pre-clinical experiments. Although many more experiments are needed to fully elucidate its exact mechanism of action, it is a promising candidate with potential as a chronotherapeutic agent.

Piperine Improves Lipid Dysregulation by Modulating Circadian Genes Bmal1 and Clock in HepG2 Cells

Metabolic disorders are closely associated with the dysregulation of circadian rhythms. Many bioactive components with lipid metabolism-regulating effects have been reported to function through circadian clock-related mechanisms. As the main pungent principle of black pepper, piperine (PIP) has been demonstrated to possess anti-obesity bioactivity by affecting hepatic lipid metabolism-related factors. However, whether the circadian clock genes Bmal1 and Clock are involved in the protective effect of PIP against lipid metabolism disorders remains unknown. In this work, oleic acid (OA) induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. The effect of PIP on redox status, mitochondrial functions, and circadian rhythms of core clock genes were evaluated. Results revealed that PIP alleviated circadian desynchrony, ROS overproduction, and mitochondrial dysfunction. A mechanism study showed that PIP could activate the SREBP-1c/PPARγ and AMPK/AKT-mTOR signaling pathways in a Bmal1/Clock-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. These results indicated that Bmal1 and Clock played important roles in the regulating effect of PIP on hepatic lipid homeostasis.

Capsaicin Attenuates Oleic Acid-Induced Lipid Accumulation via the Regulation of Circadian Clock Genes in HepG2 Cells

As the major component in red chili peppers, capsaicin is useful in the prevention of lipid metabolism disorders. In this study, the attenuation effect of capsaicin on oleic acid (OA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells was evaluated with respect to circadian clock gene expressions. Lipid profiles, including triacylglycerols, total cholesterols, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, and aspartate aminotransferase content, were measured using enzymatic assay kits. The mitochondrial membrane potential, cellular redox status, and lipid droplet morphology were also determined using different assay kits and staining methods. The mRNA and protein expressions of core circadian clock genes and major lipometabolism-related factors were assessed using RT-qPCR and western blotting. Results showed that 50 μM capsaicin alleviated the circadian desynchrony and inhibited OA-induced ROS overproduction (from 166.44 ± 12.63% to 119.90 ± 5.43%) and mitochondrial dysfunction (from 0.60 ± 0.08 to 0.83 ± 0.09, represented by the red/green fluorescence ratio) in HepG2 cells. The amelioration effect of capsaicin on OA-induced lipid accumulation was weakened after Bmal1-knockdown, demonstrating that the rhythmic expression of the circadian clock gene is involved in the regulation process of capsaicin in lipid metabolism.

Chrono-communication and cardiometabolic health: The intrinsic relationship and therapeutic nutritional promises

Circadian rhythm, an innate 24-h biological clock, regulates several mammalian physiological activities anticipating daily environmental variations and optimizing available energetic resources. The circadian machinery is a complex neuronal and endocrinological network primarily organized into a central clock, suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and peripheral clocks. Several small molecules generate daily circadian fluctuations ensuring inter-organ communication and coordination between external stimuli, i.e., light, food, and exercise, and body metabolism. As an orchestra, this complex network can be out of tone. Circadian disruption is often associated with obesity development and, above all, with diabetes and cardiovascular disease onset. Moreover, accumulating data highlight a bidirectional relationship between circadian misalignment and cardiometabolic disease severity. Food intake abnormalities, especially timing and composition of meal, are crucial cause of circadian disruption, but evidence from preclinical and clinical studies has shown that food could represent a unique therapeutic approach to promote circadian resynchronization. In this review, we briefly summarize the structure of circadian system and discuss the role playing by different molecules [from leptin to ghrelin, incretins, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)] to guarantee circadian homeostasis. Based on the recent data, we discuss the innovative nutritional interventions aimed at circadian re-synchronization and, consequently, improvement of cardiometabolic health.