This is not a webinar or course for purchase- this is a module for credit claiming for our 2019 Spring Symposium attendees and cannot be purchased or taken by non-attendees. These sessions are exclusive to our symposium, however, the topics may be revisited in the future in the form of a webinar or self-study course.

Suggested CDR Learning Codes: 2010, 4040

Performance Indicators: 8.1.4, 8.1.5, 8.3.6

Phytochemicals (“phytonutrients”) play an important role in human health promotion and disease prevention, and increasing evidence supports the beneficial effects of polyphenols (a ubiquitous class of phytochemicals abundant in colorful fruit and vegetables and their derived products) against several chronic human illnesses including CVD, obesity, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, given that polyphenols have low/poor bioavailability and undergo extensive hepatic metabolism, whether they are present in circulation in their intact/parent forms in physiologically relevant levels is questionable. Emerging data support the role of the human gut microbiota in the conversion of polyphenols into bioactive gut microbial metabolites, which may contribute to the health benefits of polyphenol-rich foods. This presentation will highlight research on pomegranate polyphenols (known as ellagitannins) and their bioactive gut microbial metabolites (known as urolithins) and how interindividual variability in gut microbiota composition leads to “responders” and “nonresponders” among human subjects.