Relationship between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Saliva Composition.

Teresa Louro,Elsa Lamy,Henrique Luis,Maria João Penetra,Laura Carreira,Paula Midori Castelo,Carla Simões,Pedro Moreira

doi:10.3390/nu13041246

Teresa Louro, Elsa Lamy + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041246

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Abstract

Dietary polyphenol exposure is known to change protein saliva composition in rodents, but less is known in humans. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between saliva protein composition and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD) and polyphenol intake levels. Participants were assessed for their dietary habits, which were converted in Mediterranean adherence level, according to Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS) score. Total polyphenol and total flavanol intakes were extrapolated from dietary data, using Phenol explorer database. Whole saliva was collected, and proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE. Salivary S-type cystatins were highly expressed in the group with medium adherence to MD, being positively correlated with wine intake in overweight individuals. The association between salivary amylase and MD adherence also depended on Body Mass Index (BMI), with a positive association only in normal weight individuals. Polyphenol intake was positively associated with S-type cystatins levels, particularly when flavanols were considered separately. These results show that saliva relationship with MD adherence depend on BMI, suggesting that normal weight and overweight individuals may have different salivary responses to diet. Moreover, these results reinforce the link between saliva and dietary polyphenols (flavanols) levels, leading to the hypothesis that salivary proteome can have a role in polyphenol-rich foods acceptance.

Highlights

IntroductionMediterranean Diet (MD) is accepted as one of the most healthy and sustainable dietary patterns
The higher percentage of individuals participating in this study presented medium adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD) pattern (62.3%), with 14.8% of the individuals having poor and only
When comparing the groups of different adherence levels, for their total polyphenol intake, it was observed increasing amounts consumed as the adherence to this dietary

Summary

Introduction

Mediterranean Diet (MD) is accepted as one of the most healthy and sustainable dietary patterns. High adherence to MD has been shown to relate with several different health benefits, such as obesity reduction, diabetes, and cardiovascular protection, among many others [1,2]. Despite of these advantages, only a minimal percentage of the population has high adherence to MD, even in Mediterranean countries [3,4,5]. In a recent study made for the Portuguese population, participants reported different reasons to justify the medium-low adherence levels, among which is food’s flavor [6]

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