ObjectivesHerbs and Spices (H/S) contain bioactive compounds with purported health benefits. This study investigated the effect of H/S intake on indicators of vascular and metabolic health over 24 h using a test-meal challenge paradigm in adults with overweight or obesity.MethodsIn a randomized, single-blinded, 4-arm, 24 h, multi-sampling, crossover clinical trial, adults (n = 25) aged 36.6 ± 3.1 years with BMI 28.5 ± 0.6 kg/m2 (mean ± SEM) consumed a high-fat, high-carbohydrate challenge meal (~810 kcal) with salt/pepper only (control) or control with one of three different H/S combinations: Italian herb (rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley), cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice mix (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice) on four separate visits at least 3 days apart. Meals provided 35% of subjects' energy to maintain weight and ~1 g H/S per 135 kcal of the meal. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4, 5.5, 7, and 24 h for endpoint analysis (additional blood draw at 0.5 h for insulin/glucose). Mixed-model analysis of repeated measures via PROC MIXED PC-SAS 9.4 was performed on the primary outcome (FMD) and secondary outcome variables. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03926442).ResultsItalian herb and pumpkin spice meals significantly increased %FMD at 24 h compared to the control meal (P = 0.048 and P = 0.027, respectively). The cinnamon meal reduced postprandial glycemia (Δ) compared to control (P = 0.01), and pumpkin pie spice mix and cinnamon meals reduced postprandial insulin at 0.5 h compared to the control meal (P = 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively). IL-6 and triglycerides increased in response to all meals (Time, P < 0.0001) but were not significantly different between meals.ConclusionsThe test-meal challenge study design coupled with multiple sampling over 24 h provides insights into time-course bioactivity of H/S on vascular function and metabolic indices in overweight/obese adults.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03926442.

Objectives Herbs and Spices (H/S) contain an array of bioactive compounds with purported health benefits. This study investigated the effect of acute H/S intake on vascular and metabolic health indicators, including flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), glucose control and inflammatory markers over 24 h in overweight or obese individuals. Methods In this randomized, single-blinded, 4-arm, 24-h, crossover clinical trial, subjects (n = 25, age 37 ± 15 years, BMI 28.5 ± 2.8 kg/m2, mean ± SD) consumed a high-fat and high-carbohydrate (HFHC) challenge meal (about 810 kcal) without (control) or with three different combinations of commercially-available H/S: Italian herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley), cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice) on four separate days at least three days apart. Meals provided 35% of subjects energy to maintain weight and 1 g H/S per 135 kcal. FMD and blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 5.5, 7, and 24 h for endpoint analysis (additional blood samples at 0.5 and 1 h for insulin/glucose). Mixed-model analysis of repeated measures via PROC MIXED PC-SAS 9.4 was performed on primary and secondary outcome variables. FMD was the primary outcome. Results The addition of H/S in HFHC meals significantly reduced postprandial insulin concentrations over 7 h compared to control (P = 0.03) with no significant decrease in glucose (P = 0.17) compared to the control meal. A significant interaction between H/S and age (P = 0.003) suggested benefits of H/S on insulinemia in individuals 41–65 years. Preliminary analysis showed significant effects of test meal (P < 0.05) on plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6). FMD assessment revealed increased %FMD 24 h after H/S consumption compared to the control meal (P = 0.04), suggesting a possible effect of gut microbial-derived H/S bioactive metabolites, which is under study. Conclusions This study demonstrated the vascular and metabolic effects of meals differing in herbs and spices. Herbs and spices may improve vascular function after 24 h consumption and have different potencies on metabolic indices in different age groups in overweight or obese individuals. Funding Sources This project was funded by McCormick Science Institute.