Plant products, health and sustainable food

In recent years, many countries have seen a nutritional transition in the human diet. This has been accompanied by an increase in energy intake in the form of simple carbohydrates and lipids, and a reduction in plant consumption in favor of animal products. Yet it is well established that consumption of diets low in plant products is correlated with the onset of metabolic dysfunctions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, sarcopenia and osteoporosis. Conversely, the most protective diets are clearly identified for their richness in plant products.

Foods of plant origin provide essential micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) and are exclusive sources of a wide range of bioactive compounds (carotenoids, polyphenols, etc.), which contribute to their health benefits. Plant products are also a significant source of macronutrients (proteins, lipids, complex carbohydrates). Some are well valorized (starches, lipids), but plant proteins have often been either unexploited or used for animal feed.

In the context of sustainable nutrition, not only in terms of preserving health, but also in terms of optimizing the use of food sources, the research carried out at UNH has several objectives:
1. characterize the complexity of individual exposure to all plant microconstituents (food metabolome) and develop new e-resources (databases, etc.) to explore the relationships between exposure to plant microconstituents and health effects.
2. Determine the physiological effects and identify the mechanisms of action of micro-constituents and complex carbohydrates provided by plant products on the body's major functions, and establish their health benefits (antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, prebiotics, lipotropics, etc.).
 3. Develop nutritional strategies aimed at reducing the intake of animal proteins in favor of plant proteins, with the aim of achieving a sustainable diet while maintaining an optimal health impact and including dietary complexity.