IN MENOPAUSE, daily chocolate, green tea, and fruit juice measurably changed urinary polyphenol metabolism in women.
Menopause, Diet, and Cardiometabolic Risk
Postmenopausal women are at increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases, and diet is often discussed as a practical lever for risk reduction. Polyphenol-rich foods, including cocoa products, tea, and fruit-based options, are of particular interest because polyphenols can be transformed into a wide range of downstream compounds after digestion.
A key challenge is variability. The cardioprotective effects attributed to polyphenols can differ markedly between individuals, and the gut microbiota is thought to play a central role. Menopause is frequently linked with gut dysbiosis, including reduced microbial diversity and lower levels of beneficial bacteria, which could influence how polyphenols are broken down and how much of their metabolic “output” becomes available to the body.
Urinary Phenolic Metabolites After Everyday Polyphenol Foods
In this study, postmenopausal women at high cardiometabolic risk consumed polyphenol-rich foods daily, specifically dark chocolate, green tea, and fruit juice, for 2 months. Researchers then profiled the urinary phenolic metabolites to assess how the intervention changed the urinary phenolic profile.
Using UHPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS, the team measured 116 urinary phenolic metabolites. After the dietary intervention, urinary excretion increased for multiple phenolic metabolites associated with gut microbiota activity and phase II metabolism. Notable increases were reported in glucuronidated and/or sulfated conjugates from several metabolite families, including phenyl-γ-valerolactones, phenylvaleric acids, phenylacetic acids, benzoic acids, and urolithins.
What This Could Mean for Everyday Practice
Rather than focusing on a single nutrient, these findings reinforce a broader concept: the same foods can lead to different biological outputs depending on the individual, with the gut microbiota likely shaping the response. The authors propose that the phenolic metabolites observed may be among the bioactive compounds that help explain potential benefits linked to consistent intake of dark chocolate, green tea, and fruit juice in postmenopausal women.
Reference: Sánchez-Martínez L et al. Metabolomic profiling of urinary phenolic compounds in postmenopausal women after consumption of dark chocolate, green tea, and fruit juice. Food Funct. 2026;DOI:10.1039/D5FO04088D.
