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In the News, Winter 2022-23: Dietary Flavonoids May Boost Cardiovascular Health
New research from Edith Cowan University suggests that regular consumption of flavonoid-containing foods may protect against extensive abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), which is a predictor of cardiovascular disease events and late-life dementia.
Using data from 881 participants (mean age of 80) in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Ageing Women, the researchers found that those women with higher intake of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols had a 36-39% lower risk of extensive AAC. Flavonoid intake was calculated based on food frequency questionnaires.
Flavonoids are phytochemicals found in many common foods and drinks, including black and green tea, berries, citrus fruit, red wine, apples, and dark chocolate. Among the study participants, black tea was the main source of flavonoids, and those woman who drank two to six cups per day had 16-42% lower risk of extensive AAC, compared with those who did not drink tea.
However, even among the non-tea drinkers, higher total flavonoid intake appeared to protect against extensive arterial calcification. Some individual sources of flavonoids – fruit juice, red wine, and chocolate – were not shown to provide significant protection.
Sources: Put the kettle on! How black tea (and other favourites) may help your health later in life. Edith Cowan University, November 22, 2022. ecu.edu.au/newsroom/articles/research/put-the-kettle-on-how-black-tea-and-other-favourites-may-help-your-health-later-in-life.
Parmenter BH, Bondonno CP, Murray K, et al. Higher habitual dietary flavonoid intake associates with less extensive abdominal aortic calcification in a cohort of older women. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2022; 42(12):1482. DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.31840.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Winter 2022 – 23 | Volume 46, Number 4
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