Effects of Polyphenol, Measured by a Biomarker of Total Polyphenols in Urine, on Cardiovascular Risk Factors After a Long-Term Follow-Up in the PREDIMED Study

Several epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between the consumption of polyphenol-rich foods and risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, accuracy and reliability of these studies may be increased using urinary total polyphenol excretion (TPE) as a biomarker for total polyphenol intake. Our aim was to assess if antioxidant activity, measured by a Folin-Ciocalteu assay in urine, is correlated with an improvement in cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure and serum glucose, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations) in an elderly population at high risk. A longitudinal study was performed with 573 participants (aged 67.3 ± 5.9) from the PREDIMED study (ISRCTN35739639). We used Folin-Ciocalteu method to determine TPE in urine samples, assisting with solid phase extraction. Participants were categorized into three groups according to changes in TPE. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess relationships between TPE and clinical cardiovascular risk factors, adjusting for potential confounders. After a 5-year follow-up, significant inverse correlations were observed between changes in TPE and plasma triglyceride concentration (β = -8.563; P = 0.007), glucose concentration (β = -4.164; P = 0.036), and diastolic blood pressure (β = -1.316; P = 0.013). Our results suggest that the consumption of more polyphenols, measured as TPE in urine, could exert a protective effect against some cardiovascular risk factors.