Healthy Improvement of Metabolic Biomarkers During an Immunonutritional Intervention: A Crossover Controlled Trial

Chronic metabolic diseases (CMDs) (i.e., obesity and type 2 diabetes) have a strong impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. To explore the potential effects of an immunonutritional intervention to prevent alterations on physiological biomarkers, a pilot study on healthy subjects consuming different cookies (i.e., a commercial and a Chenopodium quinoa-based functional formulation-FF) was performed. Anthropometric data was recorded, and blood was collected from humans under a crossover study after 12 days of intervention without dietary restriction. Biochemical parameters, phenotyping of peripheral monocytes and the precursors of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), phospholipid (PL) profile, and cytokines were measured. Interaction plots revealed significant effects depending on the product consumed and the intervention period for insulin, triglycerides, APOA, and monocytes' phenotype. The FF affects the proportion of CD33⁺CX3CR1⁺CD44⁺TLR4⁺ monocytes and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and the PLs profile. Phenotyping of innate immune cells defines a separate group of individuals with better preserved biochemical parameters, which are usually implied in the onset of CMDs. The results highlight a link between peripheral monocytes and ILCs with lipid homeostasis, pointing to these cells as potential biomarkers to manage immune and metabolic alterations in metabolic diseases. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04259879.