Eating a 'Variety' of Flavonoids Linked to 6 to 20% Lower Risk of Death and Chronic Disease

Observations have repeatedly shown that the more flavonoids people eat, the lower their risk of death and chronic disease. Flavonoids are polyphenol compounds found in plant foods. An international team of researchers, including Edith Cowan University in Australia, went a step further and used UK Biobank data to analyze whether 'how varied' the intake is matters on its own, and published the findings in Nature Food.

Analysis of 124,805 people

From the dietary records of 124,805 participants, the researchers calculated flavonoid intake as well as, separately, the diversity of the types, foods and subclasses of flavonoids consumed. The group with the most diverse intake had a 6 to 20% lower risk of all-cause death and of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease and neurodegenerative disease.

In particular, intake amount and diversity each predicted death and several chronic diseases independently of the other. The researchers interpreted this to mean that eating both a lot and a wide variety may be better for long-term health than meeting only one of the two, and gave foods such as tea, berries, apples, oranges and grapes as examples.

However, UK Biobank participants tend to be healthier and of higher socioeconomic status than the general population, and flavonoid intake is a value estimated from dietary records. People who eat a variety of foods are also likely to have better lifestyles overall, so confounding cannot be fully ruled out. As an observational study, it does not prove causation.