SA and FA are normal human serum components provided in measurable amounts by fruit consumption. Components different from the bare macronutrients are able to modulate the metabolic and inflammatory responses after fruit ingestion with a reduced glucose, free fatty acids and IL-6 response.

Body composition of volunteers (mean±SD)

Age(years)

Weight(kg)

BMI(kg/m2)

Body fat(%)

23,68 ± 2,53 64,96 ± 10,01 22,16 ± 2,66 23±7,13

Fruit and vegetables provide measurable amounts of bioactive compounds., that are often secondary metabolites of plants where they exert hormonal and defensive activity.In vivo several phytochemicals show healthy properties, like antioxidant or anti-inflammatory compounds, or inducing cell apoptosis.

Anti-inflammatory effect by:

•reversible inhibition of COX-1 enzyme;

•inhibition of COX-2 gene transcription;

•inhibition of NF-κB activation.

In vegetarians blood levels of salicylic acid are generally higher than non-vegetarians, with concentrations that may overlap with those of people who take 75mg/die of Aspirin.

A normal diet provides 0-7 mg/die of total salicylates. Circulating SA was related to fruit and vegetables consumption in healthy subjects.

Relationship between intake of fruit and vegetables on the last day and salicylic acid (SA) serum in thirty-six healthy subjects

not taking Aspirin (Spadafranca et. al, 2007)

Aspirin after

deacetylation

(2-hydroxybenzoic acid)

Circulating Salicylic acid (SA)

Ferulic acid (FA) (4-Hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic

acid)

In plants, the 95% of total FA is esterified to form lignin conferring the rigidity to the vegetal cell wall.

People can take from 80 mg to 160 mg of ferulic acid per meal depending on the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties:•Radical scavenger activity, stabilizing the phenoxyl radical intermediate and terminating the free radical chain reaction;•Inhibition of endothelial and inducible NOS (iNOS) in mouse.

Food is a complex mixture of macro and micronutrients that interact with human body producing specific metabolic and inflammatory responses relevant to health status.

A chronic systemic inflammation is reported to be involved in atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Evidences suggest that elevated levels of circulating pro-inflammatory markers (interleukin 6, C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor alpha) are risk factors for many chronic diseases.Several studies, that have examined the association between dietary patterns and systemic inflammation, suggest that food choices play an important role.

Food not allowed on the evening before the test

because of sources of salicylates and ferulates

Food Beveragefresh and processed fruit

mousse, yoghurt, ice creamjam, marmalade, chocolate

fresh and processed vegetablespizza, herbs and spices

fresh and processed cereals

juices, nectarsalcoholics

tea, herbal teascoffee

PEACH composition

humidity(%)

fructose(%)

sucrose(%)

glucose(%)

protein(%)

ashes(%)

fiber (%)

salicylic acid

(mg/kg)

ferulic acid (mg/kg)

polyphenols (mg/kg)

catechins(mg/kg)

87,82 0,94 7,67 0,85 0,75 0,36 0,61 0,41 0,35 647,62 84,60

We hypothesized that fruit meals provide measurable amounts of the anti-inflammatory compounds salicylic (SA) and ferulic acids (FA) and produce different metabolic, endocrine and inflammatory responses compared to the bare fruit macronutrients. In this study we want also to evaluate the effects of a dietary intervention based on a fruit meal on the kinetics SA and FA in blood.

Serum concentrations of SA and FA were determined by a high selectivity and sensibility method, suitable to detect in concentrations found in aspirin-free persons, using stable isotope dilution and GC-MS. Deuterated internal standards of SA (d4-SA, M/Z 313) and FA (d3-FA, M/Z 368) were used. (Spadafranca et al.,2006)

4.9 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

25000

50000

75000 309.00 (1.00)313.00 (1.00)

SA

8.00 8.25 8.50 8.75 9.00 9.25 9.50 9.75

10e3

20e3

30e3

40e3

50e3 368.00 (2.12)365.00 (2.73)

FA

GC-MS determination of Salicylic acid(M/Z 309/313)

GC-MS determination of Ferulic acid (M/Z 365/368)

26 healthy fasting and post-absorptive subjects (13 males and 13 females) received 2 meals in different days:

0.7 g/kg of total sugars per meal:•homemade peach homogenized (PEACH): 0.94% fructose, 0.85% glucose, 7.67% sucrose;•isoglucidic sugar solution (MIX);

In the following 3 hours we measured circulating salicylic and ferulic acids, glucose, insulin, lipids, adiponectin, C-reactive protein and Interleukine-6 (IL-6) concentrations.

26 Healthy subjects

8.00 am:

Evaluation of body composition

9.00 am:

0,7 g/kg of total sugars

MIXPEACH

Glucose: 0,85%

Fructose: 0,94%

Sucrose: 7,67%

Basal SA concentrations was 0.17±0.03 μmol/L. After fruit ingestion SA doubled by 30 minute and peaked at 0,25±0,03 μmol/L at 90 minutes (p<0.01). Two hours after meal ingestion SA levels tend to reduce but remained above baseline after 3 hours (p<0.01).

0,00

0,05

0,10

0,15

0,20

0,25

0,30

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

μmol

/L

minutes

circulating SA after fruit ingestion

0,00

50,00

100,00

150,00

200,00

30 60 90 120 180

109,13

161,70139,31

128,26

94,54

%

minutes

mean % delta of circulating SA SA mean percentage cheange

circulating SA after fruit ingestion

0,00

5,00

10,00

15,00

20,00

25,00

30,00

35,00

40,00

45,00

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

nm

ol/

L

minutes

circulating FA after fruit ingestion

Basal FA was 26,63±3,67 nmol/L. After fruit meal FA peaked at 30 minutes (35,50±7,13 nmol/L) and 90 minutes (36,58±3,98 nmol/L) and thereafter FA tends to fall by up to baseline.

circulating FA after fruit ingestion

-10,00

0,00

10,00

20,00

30,00

40,00

50,00

60,00

15 20 25 30 45 60 90 120 180

%

minutes

mean % delta of glycemiaglycemia mean percentage cheange

Glucose increased less rapidly with PEACH than MIX (+11±1 vs +33±5 mg/dL at 15 minutes, p<0.01) and showed a similar profile thereafter.

50

70

90

110

130

150

170

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

mg/

dL

minutes

post- prandial glycemia

PEACH

MI X

post-prandial glycemia

Free fatty acids were more suppressed after PEACH ingestion than MIX (-71,9% vs -53,21%, p<0,01) in the first two hours. After 180 minutes FFA increased significantly (p<0,01) with the MIX reaching concentrations of 40% higher than baseline.

-0,60

-0,40

-0,20

0,00

0,20

30 60 120 180

mM

minutes

mean % delta of FFA

0,000

0,100

0,200

0,300

0,400

0,500

0,600

0,700

0,800

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

mM

minutes

post- prandial Free Fatty Acids

PEACH

MI X

p<0,01

p<0,01

FFA mean percentage cheange

p<0,01

Baseline level of IL-6 was 1,6 pg/mL. After first hour IL-6 concentration tended to increased both PEACH and MIX, tendentially more with MIX (p<0,05) reaching concentrations of 10,50±2,81 pg/mL than 5,89±1,33 of PEACH.

0,00

2,00

4,00

6,00

8,00

10,00

12,00

14,00

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

pg/m

L

minutes

I L- 6 after fruit ingestion

-100,00

0,00

100,00

200,00

300,00

400,00

500,00

600,00

60 90 120 180

%

minutes

mean % delta of I L- 6IL-6 mean percentage cheangecirculating IL-6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

μIU

/mL

minutes

post- prandial insulin

PEACH

MI X

After meals ingestion insulin peaked at 30 minutes both with PEACH (13,46±1,46) and MIX (43,77±5,88). In the last two hours insulinemia decreased less rapidly with PEACH than MIX.