Urolithin PatternsPostprandial Urolithin Patterns Following Pecan Consumption

Pecan-enriched diets have been linked to improved cardiovascular health, including postprandial blood lipids and microvascular reactivity in older adults. This has led to recommendations to increase regular pecan consumption, however there is no consistent plasma measure of pecan intake. Traditionally, plasma tocopherols have been used, although they reach peak concentrations in plasma around 6-8 hours post pecan consumption, leading to high variability at 24 hours. Therefore, a more reliable biomarker of pecan consumption needs to be defined. The purpose of this study is to analyze the postprandial response of urolithins in human plasma after a pecan enriched meal and compare their appearance pattern to tocopherols. This single blind, randomized crossover trial is designed to provide two acute meal challenges for each participant (anticipated n=30, BMI 18.5 - 24.9, age 18-30y) with a washout period of \~14 days between each challenge. The intervention meal contains 68g of pecans and the control shake contains whipped cream instead of pecans, and the order of each meal will be randomly assigned. Blood draws will be collected at fasting (0-h) and every 2 hours until 8 hours postprandial, then at 12-, 24-, and 48h after the meal. The levels of urolithins and tocopherols will be quantified through liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. To our knowledge, this is the first time urolithins will be tracked in plasma up to 48h post meal. This study will be used to establish of a new and more consistent dietary biomarker for pecans.