Third international conference on polyphenols

Last month the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry and the French Antioxidant Society hosted jointly the Third International Conference on Polyphenols Applications in Nutrition and Health.

Polyphenols are natural substances that are found ubiquitously in fruits and vegetables as well as in olive oil, tea and red wine. Polyphenols have recently captured major public interest because they have been linked to a reduced risk of several age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes and osteoporosis.

The 150 participants came from 21 countries; around half were university academics, medical doctors and students, while the remainder came from the R&D sections of companies working in the fields of natraingredients and pharmaceutics.

For the first time an international event brought together people working in industry with world specialists to discuss and exchange the latest advances in the use of polyphenols in the prevention of the main chronic human diseases.

Local members of the organising committee included Professor Joseph V. Bannister, head of the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, and Dr Neville Vassallo, lecturer in the same department.

In his opening address, Professor Bannister recalled the conference on superoxide dismutase and oxidative stress, held in Malta 28 years ago, and welcomed the participation of Professor Fulvio Ursini from the University of Padua, who had also been present at that conference.

After tracing the evolution of the field of antioxidants over the past decades, he emphasised that future studies on polyphenols should investigate their biological effects in an in vivo environment.

The sessions that followed focused on polyphenols biochemistry and their application fields. Dr Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina (University of Medicine, Angers) presented impressive data showing significant therapeutic benefit on reducing blood pressure and end-organ damage in hypertensive animals using Provinol, a red wine extract.

In a lively lecture, Dr James Joseph (Boston University, USA) described his studies on the beneficial effects of blueberry supplementation on the brain: mice receiving the supplement were protected against Alzheimer's disease and performed better in tasks related to learning and memory. It also appears that one of the most striking effects of blueberry supplementation may involve increases in neurogenesis in the adult brain.

There were several talks related to polyphenols and cancer; among these, Dr Sandra Ulrich (Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt) demonstrated that the naturally occurring polyphenol resveratrol inhibited growth of colon carcinoma cells by the induction of de novo ceramide biosynthesis.

From the Far East, Dr Mizuho Nasu (Ninapharm, Japan) explained the latest trends and consumption of polyphenols in Japanese culture, mentioning as an example uses of Okinawa polyphenols - Okinawa being an island south of mainland Japan which has the highest percentage of centenarians in the world.

Also from Japan, Dr Akiro Chikama (KAO Corporation, Tokyo) presented data from double-blind controlled clinical trials showing that daily ingestion of tea catechins reduced body fat (including BMI and waist circumference) and might decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome leading to various lifestyle diseases.

Ultimately, a consensus emerged that there is great hope that regular prevention or delay of age-related decline in body tissues, leading not only to increased longevity but, importantly, a better quality of life.

On a final note, the success of this conference was readily apparent by the fact that talk already surfaced of another such event being hosted in Malta next year.