New research shows that eating a wide variety of flavonoid-rich foods—such as tea, berries, apples, and dark chocolate—may lower your risk of serious health problems and help you live longer.
The study was conducted by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, Edith Cowan University in Perth, and the Medical University of Vienna and Universitat Wien.
Flavonoids are natural compounds found in many plant-based foods and drinks, including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and dark chocolate. These compounds have long been linked to health benefits, but this is the first large study to show that not just the amount, but the variety of flavonoids in your diet matters too.
Published in the journal Nature Food, the study followed over 120,000 people aged 40 to 70 for more than 10 years. The researchers found that people who consumed about 500 milligrams of flavonoids per day had a 16% lower risk of dying from any cause, along with around 10% lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and lung-related illness.
According to Dr. Benjamin Parmenter, one of the study’s lead authors, this amount is equal to what you might get from drinking two cups of tea each day. But the most important finding was that people who consumed a wider variety of flavonoid-rich foods—rather than just getting flavonoids from one or two sources—had an even lower risk of disease.
Instead of only drinking tea, for example, it’s better to also eat a mix of fruits like blueberries, apples, and oranges to get different kinds of flavonoids, which offer different health benefits.
Professor Aedín Cassidy, another lead researcher, explained that various flavonoids help the body in different ways. Some lower blood pressure, others improve cholesterol, and some reduce inflammation. By eating a variety of flavonoid-rich foods, you may get more of these combined health effects.
This study supports the popular advice to “eat the rainbow,” meaning a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. Professor Tilman Kuhn, another co-author of the study, pointed out that until now, no one had tested the idea that a diverse range of flavonoids could be especially helpful.
The researchers say their findings support recent dietary guidelines recommending that people not only eat more flavonoids, but also get them from a variety of sources.
Simple swaps in your daily meals—like drinking more tea and adding berries and apples—can be a great way to improve your health in the long run, the researchers say.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
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