In vitro colon model to study metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a metabolic disorder, tightly linked to obesity, and predisposing to cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). There is already some knowledge related to intake of diet rich in phytochemicals and improved biological effects e.g. adipose tissue function or biomarkers of improved insulin sensitivity. This chapter aims to describe the connection between plant food and beverage intake and circulating metabolites by using the in vitro colon model. The in vitro colon model coupled with metabolomic systems biology is applied to connect food components, over-expressed in vitro metabolite profiles and corresponding in vivo metabolite profiles. When the diet relation has been made, the same metabolites are identified from the human body fluids. The traditional end-points related to health and disease can be connected with the biomarkers of intake of the same volunteers. Finally, novel biomarkers of health status can be sought using novel lipidomic and proteomic techniques, which has potential to answer to the urgent need for early biomarkers of disease and improved health