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Inter-Individual Responses to a Blueberry Intervention across Multiple Endpoints.
Yueyue Wang1, Crystal Haskell-Ramsay2, Jose Lara Gallegos1,3
1Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
Nutrients
|March 28, 2024
Summary
Individual responses to blueberry interventions for vascular and cognitive health varied greatly. This study found no consistent patterns or predictive biomarkers, highlighting the need for personalized nutrition strategies.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition science
- Metabolomics
- Human health
Background:
- Individual variability in diet response impacts vascular and cognitive health.
- Understanding these variations is crucial for effective dietary interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and characterize individual responses to a blueberry dietary intervention.
- To investigate potential urinary metabolite biomarkers for response prediction.
Main Methods:
- A 1-week single-blinded cross-over randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 37 healthy participants.
- Comparison of whole fresh blueberries, freeze-dried blueberry powder, and a placebo.
- Analysis of vascular health and cognitive endpoints, alongside urinary metabolites.
Main Results:
- Significant inter-individual variation observed in vascular (-141% to +525%) and cognitive (-114% to +96%) endpoints.
- No consistent response patterns were found between or within participants for either intervention.
- No significant discriminatory urinary metabolites were identified between interventions or as predictors of response.
Conclusions:
- This study, the first to use quartile divisions for blueberry intervention response, found inconsistent individual outcomes.
- No predictive urinary metabolite biomarkers were identified for differentiating responders from non-responders.
- The approach of defining a metabolic signature shows promise for future personalized nutrition.
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