Microbial metabolites are associated with a high adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern using a 1H-NMR-based untargeted metabolomics approach

• Published in: The Journal of nutritional biochemistry Vol. 48; pp. 36 - 43
• Main Authors: Almanza-Aguilera, Enrique, Urpi-Sarda, Mireia, Llorach, Rafael, Vázquez-Fresno, Rosa, Garcia-Aloy, Mar, Carmona, Francesc, Sanchez, Alex, Madrid-Gambin, Francisco, Estruch, Ramon, Corella, Dolores, Andres-Lacueva, Cristina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Dietary patterns; High adherence; Mediterranean diet; Metabolomics; Microbiota; Metabolomics; Dietary patterns; Mediterranean diet; ROC; H-MDA; HPHPA; L-MDA; AUC; CVD; FFQ; Microbiota; MetS; 1H-NMR; High adherence; Biomarkers; MedDiet; OSC-PLS-DA; VIP; PAGN; PREDIMED
• ISSN: 0955-2863; 1873-4847
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2017.06.001

The study of biomarkers of dietary patterns including the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is scarce and could improve the assessment of these patterns. Moreover, it could provide a better understanding of health benefits of dietary patterns in nutritional epidemiology. We aimed to determine a robust and accurate biomarker associated with a high adherence to a MedDiet pattern that included dietary assessment and its biological effect. In this cross-sectional study, we included 56 and 63 individuals with high (H-MDA) and low (L-MDA) MedDiet adherence categories, respectively, all from the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea trial. A 1H-NMR-based untargeted metabolomics approach was applied to urine samples. Multivariate statistical analyses were conducted to determine the metabolite differences between groups. A stepwise logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to build and evaluate the prediction model for H-MDA. Thirty-four metabolites were identified as discriminant between H-MDA and L-MDA. The fingerprint associated with H-MDA included higher excretion of proline betaine and phenylacetylglutamine, among others, and decreased amounts of metabolites related to glucose metabolism. Three microbial metabolites — phenylacetylglutamine, p-cresol and 4-hydroxyphenylacetate — were included in the prediction model of H-MDA (95% specificity, 95% sensitivity and 97% area under the curve). The model composed of microbial metabolites was the biomarker that defined high adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern. The overall metabolite profiling identified reflects the metabolic modulation produced by H-MDA. The proposed biomarker may be a better tool for assessing and aiding nutritional epidemiology in future associations between H-MDA and the prevention or amelioration of chronic diseases.