Alkylresorcinols

Book chapter, 2019

This chapter summarizes what is known about the amounts of alkylresorcinols in whole grains and the state of the art on their bioavailability and possible biological effects. Alkylresorcinols have been measured using a wide range of methods, mainly spectrophotometric methods that measure total alkylresorcinols and chromatographic methods coupled to different detectors that measure the individual homologues. More work on improving estimates of alkylresorcinol intake is needed as these are essential for the interpretation of potential biological effects at usual levels of intake. Several reviews have summarized the in vitro (cell study) effects of alkylresorcinols, which span increased apoptosis in cancer cells to decreased triglyceride formation in adipocytes. Several studies have suggested that alkylresorcinols can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, likely by inhibition of apoptosis. A major area of interest for alkylresorcinols is their use as biomarkers of whole grain wheat and rye intake.