Biomarkers of Berry Intake: Systematic Review Update

Abstract

Berries are rich in (poly)phenols, and these compounds may be beneficial to human health. Estimating berry consumption through self-reported questionnaires has been challenging due to compliance issues and a lack of precision. Estimation via food-derived biomarkers in biofluids was proposed as a complementary alternative. We aimed to review and update the existing evidence on biomarkers of intake for six different types of berries. A systematic literature search was performed to update a previous systematic review on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from January 2020 until December 2022. Out of 42 papers, only 18 studies were eligible. A multimetabolite panel is suggested for blueberry and cranberry intake. Proposed biomarkers for blueberries include hippuric acid and malvidin glycosides. For cranberries, suggested biomarkers are glycosides of peonidin and cyanidin together with sulfate and glucuronide conjugates of phenyl-γ-valerolactone derivatives. No new metabolite candidates have been found for raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, and blackberries. Further studies are encouraged to validate these multimetabolite panels for improving the estimation of berry consumption.

Biomarkers of food intake and their relevance to metabolic syndrome

“…Certain anthocyanins or their combinations (also with other polyphenols, at least in pairs of two) have thus been proposed as biomarkers of various berry intake such as blueberries (hippuric acid and malvidin glycosides), 169 while individual compounds were not regarded to constitute reliable biomarkers. These methods would thus require determination of polyphenols by MS techniques.…”