QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 139/9/1824S    most recent jn.109.107664v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Forester, S. C. Articles by Waterhouse, A. L. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Forester, S. C. Articles by Waterhouse, A. L.

---

Supplement: Grapes and Health

Metabolites Are Key to Understanding Health Effects of Wine Polyphenolics^1–3,

Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Phenolic compounds in grapes and wine are grouped within the following major classes: stilbenes, phenolic acids, ellagitannins, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, flavonols, and proanthocyanidins. Consumption of foods containing phenolic substances has been linked to beneficial effects toward chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer. However, such correlations need to be supported by in vivo testing and bioavailability studies are the first step in establishing cause and effect. Class members from all phenolic groups can be glucuronidated, sulfated, and/or methylated and detected at low concentrations in the bloodstream and in urine. But the majority of phenolic compounds from grapes and wine are metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract, where they are broken down by gut microflora. This typically involves deglycosylation, followed by breakdown of ring structures to produce phenolic acids and aldehydes. These metabolites can be detected in bloodstream, urine, and fecal samples by using sophisticated instrumentation methods for quantitation and identification at low concentrations. The health effects related to grape and wine consumption may well be due to these poorly understood phenolic acid metabolites. This review discusses the known metabolism of each major class of wine and grape phenolics, the means to measure them, and ideas for future investigations.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: alwaterhouse{at}ucdavis.edu.

Published online 29 July 2009.