Polyphenol-Rich Aronia melanocarpa Fruit Beneficially Impact Cholesterol, Glucose, and Serum and Gut Metabolites: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Polyphenol-rich Aronia fruits have great potential as a functional food with anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycemic biologic activities. However, clinical intervention trials investigating the impact of Aronia fruit consumption on human health are limited. A randomized, controlled, double-blinded, parallel intervention trial was conducted using 14 human subjects who ingested either 0 mL or 100 mL of Aronia juice daily for 30 days. Anthropometric measurements, fasting, and postprandial measures of glucose and lipid metabolism and inflammation, 16S rRNA fecal microbial composition data, and mass spectrometry-acquired serum and fecal metabolomic data were collected before and after the intervention period. Data were analyzed using general linear models, ANOVA, and <i>t</i>-tests. Daily consumption of Aronia prevented a rise in cholesterol levels (β = -0.50, <i>p</i> = 0.03) and reduced postprandial glucose (β = -3.03, <i>p</i> < 0.01). No difference in microbial community composition by condition was identified at any taxonomic level, but a decrease (β = -18.2, <i>p</i> = 0.04) in microbial richness with Aronia was detected. Serum and fecal metabolomic profiles indicated shifts associated with central carbon and lipid metabolism and decreases in pro-inflammatory metabolites. Our study further informs the development of polyphenol-based dietary strategies to lower metabolic disease risk.