Chronic consumption of (poly)phenol-rich foods exerts multigenomic modification of genes linked to cardiometabolic health in postmenopausal women.

This study investigates the impact of daily intake of (poly)phenol-rich foods (PP-rich foods) on gene expression in postmenopausal women. Due to the fall in estrogen during menopause, women experience significant physiological and metabolic changes, increasing the risk of chronic diseases. Previous studies suggest that (poly)phenols may help mitigate these changes by modulating gene expression. However, the effect of consuming various (poly)phenol classes simultaneously had not been well explored. In this study, blood samples were collected before and after daily PP-rich foods consumption for 2 months (dark chocolate, green tea, and mix-fruit juice: pomegranate, berries and orange) by postmenopausal women to evaluate the nutrigenomic effect. Global gene expression was analyzed, and bioinformatics tools were used to assess differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their functional roles. The results revealed significant changes in gene expression, including protein-coding genes (mRNA) as well as non-coding RNA types like microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). These DEGs were involved in regulating key processes such as endocrine function, inflammation, metabolism, cell signaling, and adhesion. In silico docking analyses suggested that gut microbiota metabolites (valerolactones and urolithins) and phase II-derived metabolites (glucuronides of cocoa flavan-3ols and orange flavanones), presented higher potential binding capacity for FOXA1, PURA, RUNX3 and RXRA than the low molecular weight phenolic acid catabolites. Gene expression profiles after PP-rich foods consumption were also inversely correlated with the expression profiles of patients with cardiometabolic disorders. These findings suggest that the PP-rich foods selected may improve cardiometabolic health by modulating gene expression, resulting in a promising dietary approach to reduce adverse effects during menopause.