Prevention of postprandial metabolic stress in humans: role of fruit-derived products.

The consumption of unbalanced meals, consisting of foods rich in lipids and/or carbohydrates and calories, has been associated to a postprandial metabolic stress that involves the increase of the production of free radicals and proinflammatory markers. Growing evidence suggest that dietary polyphenols contained in fruit-derived products, such as fruit juices, are involved in the role played by plant foods in disease prevention. Their association to a calorie-dense meal may help to attenuate the onset of postprandial metabolic and inflammatory stress. The available evidence in the literature investigating the effects of polyphenols rich fruit juices on the modulation of postprandial-induced metabolic stress in humans will be presented and discussed.