Study reveals powerful health-protective fruit and vegetable nutrients
One obvious way to live healthier for longer is to avoid heart disease and cancer.
The Edith Cowan University in Australia just issued an analysis of the diets of more than 53,000 Danish people over a 23-year period. They found that people who regularly ate foods rich in flavonoids had a significantly lower risk of dying from heart disease or cancer. The protective effect was even strong for those who smoked or drank too much.
This article was written by Colin Rose, a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, who has been writing on science for 40 years.
Flavonoids and carotenoids – anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
Flavonoids are a group of plant compounds found in fruits and vegetables that confer health benefits through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. This improves blood vessel function – hence the reduction of heart attack risk.
A sub-group of flavonoids – the carotenoids like lycopene, lutein and beta carotene – also help ensure normal ‘cell signalling’. Cells need to signal or communicate their boundaries to prevent encroaching on neighbouring cells. If this communication breaks down, it can lead to cancer.
It is particularly helpful that the analysis was able to measure the daily level of flavonoids that create the protective effect and the lowest risk of heart disease and cancer.
That protective level was 500 mg of total flavonoids.
The many flavonoids
Flavonoids are as important to health as vitamins and minerals. There are a substantial number of flavonoids (which are in turn a class of plant compounds called polyphenols), including:
Flavonones
Found in eg. grapefruits, lemons, oranges.
Anthocyanidins
Found eg. in strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, red wine.
Flavones
Found in eg. peppers, celery, apples, parsley
Isoflavones
Found in especially in soy. Particularly strong anti-cancer properties. And act as plant oestrogens.
Flavonols
Found eg. in onions, kale, broccoli, leeks, grapes
Flavanols
Different from flavonols, this class of flavonoid includes the catechins in green tea. Dark chocolate contains cocoa flavanols.
Carotenoids
Colourants in the skins of plants.
Lycopene is the red in the skin of tomatoes.
Lutein is in leafy green and yellow vegetables and egg yolks.
Beta carotene is in carrots, peppers, apricots.
Getting 500mg a day of flavonoids
The food chart at the end of this article answers the question of exactly how to get 500mg of flavonoids a day. It is based on a combination of the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diet – the latter stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
It’s called the MIND Diet because, in addition to incorporating the foods that best protect against heart disease, stroke, and cancer, it also includes foods and nutrients that help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Flavonoids also protect against dementia
The brain is a fatty organ – and researchers have shown that oxidation of the fats which form protective sheaths round neurons in the brain is a contributory cause of dementia. This oxidation is also known as
"free radical damage".
Anti-oxidants counteract this oxidation and help prevent and slow that damage.
Inflammation in the brain is another contributory cause. So anti-inflammatory nutrients like flavonoids can help prevent inflammation damage.
Other research shows that carotenoids also help prevent the formation of the beta amyloid plaques and tangles that degrade neuron brain cells and characterise an Alzheimer’s brain.
Furthermore, the MIND Diet is also a natural immune system booster. It’s high in vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C and D and zinc, plus Omega 3, as well as flavonoids and carotenoids. All of these nutrients strongly support the immune system.
The best of the best food plan
Even the MIND Diet can be improved, by including the best from the Japanese diet (like green tea and soy isoflavones) and one or two other nutrients – notably curcumin from the curry spice turmeric.
Recent research shows that curcumin may help prevent the accumulation of plaques that build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients – and which interfere with communication between brain cells.
Indeed, curcumin activates hundreds of genes that are anti-inflammatory and neuro (brain) protective.
Add a multi-nutrient supplement
Finally, you’ll notice that the food plan includes a multi-nutrient supplement called NutriShield. Because, if you’re trying to get all the nutrients you need, at the level you need, by eating only regular food, you may find it difficult.
That’s because the number of daily portions of fruits and vegetables in the MIND studies is considerably higher than a simple 5-a-day recommendation.
Both the American Cancer Society and University College London have concluded that the ideal intake is 9-10 portions of fruits and vegetables a day – plus 2-3 portions of oily fish a week.
At these levels, your intake of vitamins, minerals and flavonoids and other nutrients ensures that your blood chemistry becomes seriously protective against age-related illness generally.
NutriShield fills in the gap between an ideal and a realistic diet that most people can manage. It includes vitamins, minerals, 500 mg in total of mixed flavonoids, Omega 3, CoQ10 and glucosamine.
You can download the best of the best food plan free here. https://nutrishield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CR-News-Food-table.pdf
This article was written by Colin Rose, a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, who has been writing on science for 40 years.
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References
Flavonoid intake is associated with lower mortality in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Cohort: Nicola P. Bondonno, Frederik Dalgaard, Cecilie Kyrø, Kevin Murray, Catherine P. Bondonno, Joshua R. Lewis, Kevin D. Croft, Gunnar Gislason, Augustin Scalbert, Aedin Cassidy, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Jonathan M. Hodgson. Nature Communications, 2019; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11622-x
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/flavonoids
Protection by Flavanol-Rich Foods Against Vascular Dysfunction and Oxidative Damage: 27th Hohenheim Consensus Conference. Helmut Sies, Peter C.H. Hollman, Tilman Grune, Wilhelm Stahl, Hans K. Biesalski, Gary Williamson; Advances in Nutrition, Volume 3, Issue 2, March 2012, Pages 217–221