abstract
Given the general increase in legume consumption worldwide, there is a need to characterize the resulting human metabolic adaptations in order to demonstrate potential legume diet/health relationships. A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics urine study was carried out on a small cohort (n = 18) to characterize the excretory effects of a pilot longitudinal 8-week legume-based dietary intervention. Despite the expected high interindividual variability in the excreted metabolome, the results suggested a nonlinear metabolic response, with higher metabolic activity in the first 4 weeks and a tendency toward baseline at the end of the intervention. The excretion of isoleucine, leucine, and threonine increased, along with metabolite changes suggestive of activation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (through anaplerosis), ketogenesis, fat catabolism, and glycoprotein biosynthesis. Gut microbiota adaptations were also suggested based on the increased excretion of 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, allantoin, and hippurate. Increased levels of trigonelline were consistent with its role as a legume intake marker, whereas malonate and pseudouridine were suggested as possible additional markers. Correlation of NMR data with nutritional parameters aided putative explanatory hypotheses to be advanced. Our results suggest a dynamic response to legume consumption, mainly through increased amino acid excretion and altered energy metabolism, while advancing potential new markers of legume intake. These results require confirmation in larger cohorts but pave the way for an informed interpretation of the effects of legume-based diets on human health.
authors
Ferreira, Helena; Duarte, Daniela; Rodrigues, João A.; Vasconcelos, Marta W.; Pinto, Elisabete; Gil, Ana M.
our authors
Projects
Collaboratory for Emerging Technologies, CoLab (EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)
acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through project UIDB/50016/2020 and by the project “Transition paths to sustainable legume-based systems in Europe” (TRUE), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 727973. HF would like to acknowledge FCT for doctoral grant ref SFRH/BDE/132240/2017. This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 & LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The NMR spectrometer is part of the National NMR Network (PTNMR) and partially supported by Infrastructure Project N° 022161 (cofinanced by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC). All the authors acknowledge the help of Joana Ferrão Silveira, MSc, and Kimhoung Say, MSc, during the food intervention and data collection procedures, as well as the food company Eurest (https://www.eurest.pt/) for providing the trial meals. The INCREASE project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862862.