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Content archived on 2024-05-29

Dietary polyphenols, gut microbes and human health: A systems biology approach

Objective

The interactions between trillions of gut microbes (microbiota) and the human host represent a significant source of untapped knowledge that can be used to unravel the complexity of human health. This is also true for dietary compounds that could be used strategically by the food industry to prevent chronic disease. Polyphenols sit firmly in this domain and applying a systems biology approach offers a key opportunity to effectively use these compounds in consumer products. Polyphenol research has been hindered by a lack of knowledge of what occurs to them in the human gut, particularly how they are metabolised by the gut microbiota and their bioavailability.

Three systems are involved in this: the consortium of polyphenols in the diet, the consortium of gut microbiota that metabolise them prior to absorption, and the human metabonome. A mechanistic understanding of the interaction between these complex systems will allow intervention by the food industry to generate novel functional foods with health benefits for the consumer. A systems biology approach will provide this and is precisely the objective of this proposal: To develop a systems biology approach to understand and predict the health effects of dietary xenobiotic compounds through host-microbiota interactions.

A weight of evidence now supports the use of polyphenols for reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and this is the initial target. Bio-availability remains the key issue that needs to be resolved prior to using these compounds as functional food ingredients. To achieve this objective requires the combined efforts of several scientific disciplines which are currently spread across independent organisations in the EU. Transferring this knowledge and working together to achieve this aim in a coherent relevant scheme is vital. This collaborative project will accelerate the research agenda and provide a platform for investigation of host microbiota interactions using systems biology.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

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FP6-2005-MOBILITY-3
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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

TOK - Marie Curie actions-Transfer of Knowledge

Coordinator

UNILEVER NEDERLAND HOLDINGS B.V.
EU contribution
No data
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (3)

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