Research Progress about the Effects of Dietary Polyphenols on the Intestinal Microbiota

The human gut is a complex but stable microecosystem. Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in maintaining our human health. A healthy intestinal microflora is a delicate balance, but a variety of factors can also affect the balance of intestinal microflora, such as diet, age, medicine, environment or living habits, etc. The imbalanced of intestinal microflora also is a risk factor for the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. Polyphenols are a large group of secondary metabolites from plants with versatile biological activities. A large number of studies indicate that dietary supplementation of polyphenols have the health promoting effects, like antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protective effects. They also find with beneficial effects for the intestinal health and modulating the gut microbiota. This paper summarize the recent progress of the research on the potential influence of dietary polyphenols on the intestinal flora. We aim to provide theoretical basis and reference for the scientific usage of polyphenols for preventing and treating intestinal diseases.