Lee Swanson Research Update

Flavonoids Appear to Cut Risk of Developing Heart Disease

April 2007

"Dietary intakes of flavanones, anthocyanidins and certain foods rich in flavonoids were associated with reduced risk of death due to CHD (coronary heart disease), CVD (cardiovascular disease), and all causes," according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Oslo in Norway examined flavonoid food composition data from three U.S. Department of Agriculture databases to develop better estimates of dietary flavonoid intake and to study the association of flavonoid intake and CVD death. Study participants were 34,489 postmenopausal women in the Iowa Women's Health Study who were free of cardiovascular disease and had complete food-frequency questionnaire information at baseline.

The data indicated that there were positive associations between anthocyanidins and CHD, CVD and total mortality. Similar associations were noted between flavanones and CHD as well as between flavones and total mortality. According to the study: "Individual flavonoid-rich foods associated with significant mortality reduction included bran (added to foods; associated with stroke and CVD); apples or pears or both and red wine (associated with CHD and CVD); grapefruit (associated with CHD); strawberries (associated with CVD); and chocolate (associated with CVD)."

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85(3):895-909, 2007

New to Natural Health?
Tools
Customer Service