The postprandial metabolome - a source of Nutritional Biomarkers of Health

•A significant proportion of the blood metabolome reacts to the ingestion of food.•The postprandial metabolome can be linked to the molecular composition of food.•Metabolomic profiling of blood differentiates healthy state from metabolic diseases.•NBHs causally associate the postprandial response to the metabolic health status.•Metabolomic technologies favor the identification of NBHs.

The novel concept of 'Nutritional Biomarkers of Health' (NBH) is introduced in this paper. In analogy to glucose, metabolites in blood that (i) respond postprandially to the ingestion of foods, (ii) differentiate healthy individuals from individuals with metabolic diseases under fasting and/or postprandial conditions, and (iii) have plausible mechanisms that associate them with metabolic diseases, may qualify as NBHs. The use of metabolomics to link food composition to the metabolic status of a subject after ingestion offers a unique approach for the identification of NBHs and thus, the discovery and development of dietary solutions that prevent disease and promote health.

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