Clinical trials

Epidemiological studies have shown that tomato consumption can have a protective effect in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Our group has carried out various clinical studies in relation to this food that is highly consumed by the Spanish population.

The first tomato study was conducted in collaboration with the “Egyptian National Research Center” to measure the excretion of total polyphenols in the urine of Egyptian children. Currently, we evaluate the effect of chronic consumption of tomato juice, at different doses, on blood pressure and endothelial function in patients with high cardiovascular risk. In addition, to better understand the pathogenesis of the effect of tomato on blood pressure, we sought to relate changes in blood pressure, variations in plasma lycopene levels and polyphenols in urine with changes in the expression of those candidate genes.

We evaluated the metabolites of resveratrol present in urine as a potential biomarker of wine consumption in humans. We conducted two prospective, randomized, crossover, controlled, and single-blind trials, in collaboration with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Cocoa contains significant amounts of flavonoids, mainly catechin and epicatechin. The latter has been extensively studied in our group.

In collaboration with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, we have determined the metabolites of epicatechin excreted in urine after ingestion of a standard ration of a cocoa shake and the effect these metabolites have on the total antioxidant capacity of urine. In this way, it was sought to know if all the conjugations that cocoa flavonoids undergo during their metabolism affect their bioactivity and, therefore, their possible beneficial effects on health.

We also studied the possible effect of milk on the excretion of epicatechin metabolites from cocoa in healthy volunteers and thus observed whether there is an interference of milk components in phase II of polyphenol metabolism.

FRIDA (Effect of diet polyphenols on insulin sensitivity, inflammation markers and on the incidence of type II diabetes) is the first study that seeks to evaluate the effect of the Mediterranean diet enriched in foods rich in phenolic compounds on modulating the risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus, the possible mechanisms of action of these components and studying the possible synergy between them. It is a prospective, randomized, parallel, open and controlled intervention clinical trial on the effect of polyphenols in the Mediterranean diet on the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We carried out a pilot study to evaluate the effect of a short-term organic diet compared to a conventional one. We will carry out epidemiological and intervention studies to check whether vegetables and fruits grown in organic agriculture are more beneficial to health than those produced conventionally.