The effect of jaboticaba peel and seed powder intake for three weeks on urolithin metabotype and excretion in normoweight and overweight/obese Brazilians

This study investigated whether the daily intake of jaboticaba peel and seed powder (JPSP) for three weeks could modify urolithins metabotype (UM-A, UM-B, or UM-0) and urinary excretion in Brazilian adults (n = 59). Volunteers consumed JPSP or placebo in a crossover design, and urine samples were collected at four time points. Even though most volunteers (66%) maintained their initial metabotype, several exhibited multiple metabotype changes during the trial. These shifts were not associated with JPSP intervention, sex, body mass index, or body fat percentage, and were mainly related to changes in the ability to produce any urolithins (UM-0 to UM-A/UM-B and vice-versa) rather than to shifts between different producers (UM-A to UM-B or vice-versa). Overall, 32.2% of volunteers were UM-A, 52.5% UM-B, and 15.3% UM-0. Normoweight volunteers had a higher frequency of UM-B (71.9%) compared with UM-A (14.6%), whereas overweight/obese individuals showed the opposite distribution. Age also influenced metabotype distribution, with an increased prevalence of UM-B and decreased UM-A in older volunteers. Importantly, JPSP intervention significantly increased total urolithin excretion in normoweight volunteers, but not in overweight/obese. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical study to evaluate urolithin metabotypes at four different time points, underscoring the importance of repeated assessments for accurate stratification in intervention trials.