Flavonoids are very essential for health due to their variety of biological activities ranging from anticancer to antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiaging, immuno-stimulatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, etc. These body-enhancing properties clearly reveal why they should be regularly consumed in ample amounts for maximal body function.
Flavonoids help your body function more efficiently while guarding it against everyday toxins and stressors. That is, they help your body fight off potentially harmful molecules that can be introduced to cause stress. They help improve cognition, prevent memory loss, and boost your mood by increasing brain experience. For example, consuming high concentrations of flavonoids may benefit your brain by stimulating brain activity associated with pleasure and reward, which in turn decreases stress and improves your mood. They may help manage symptoms of or lower your risk of having cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke for example. People who consumed higher levels of flavonoids as part of their diet had a lower risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event (Ponzo et al., 2015).
Flavonoids help with inflammation in the body. Allergens (substances causing allergic reactions), germs, toxins, and other irritants can induce inflammation that results in distress symptoms. Interestingly, flavonoids help your body get rid of that inflammatory reaction to lessen or neutralize symptoms that should have erupted. They also help manage your cholesterol level. Flavonoids cause a significant drop in low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) which in high amounts can clog arteries. On the other hand, they can also raise high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol). They also help keep hormones balanced in your body
Flavonoids help to manage high blood pressure. Clark et al., 2015 stated that at least five subtypes of flavonoids have a demonstrable effect on lowering high blood pressure. They also produce nitric oxide which causes blood vessels to relax and blood pressure to lower (Ghimire et al., 2017). They decrease your risk of having type 2 diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels. According to Xu et al., 2018, a high intake of dietary flavonoids correlates with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance causes high blood glucose (sugar) – what type 2 diabetes is mainly characterized with. Interestingly, with a high level of flavonoids, how the body breaks down glucose is improved by combating oxidative stress to reduce insulin resistance, which then lowers one’s risk of having type 2 diabetes, and helps one already diagnosed with it manage the symptoms.
Flavonoids are beneficial for your gut. During digestion, flavonoids behave like a prebiotic (a type of fiber that facilitates the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut). The more “good” microbes are in your system, the better your body is able to absorb nutrients as well as support a healthy metabolism, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A flavonoid-rich diet leads to a reduced risk of several different cancers including lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. According to Hollenberg et al., 2009, people who consume high levels of flavonoids develop fewer cancers than those who don’t. Different flavonoids have a protective effect against at least a specific cancer type. For example, anthocyanidins decrease lung cancer risk, while flavonols (epicatechin, quercetin) reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Mechanism of action can be due to flavonoids’ ability to stop cancer cells from multiplying (Chahar et al., 2011).
Flavonoids reduce the aging rate by acting as antioxidants to protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules (Phaniendra et al., 2015). They also are good for your skin. High levels of antioxidants have been found to protect the skin from the powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays emitted by the sun. Mogollon et al., 2014 reported flavonoids to have caused improvements in the elasticity of skin exposed to the sun, although the exact mechanism of this isn’t known.
Considering these various health benefits from flavonoids, you’ll agree with me that it’s best to consume flavonoid-rich foods.
References
- Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of nutritional science, 5.
- Clark, J. L., Zahradka, P., & Taylor, C. G. (2015). Efficacy of flavonoids in the management of high blood pressure. Nutrition reviews, 73(12), 799-822.
- Ponzo, V., Goitre, I., Fadda, M., Gambino, R., De Francesco, A., Soldati, L., … & Bo, S. (2015). Dietary flavonoid intake and cardiovascular risk: a population-based cohort study. Journal of translational medicine, 13(1), 1-13.
- Xu, H., Luo, J., Huang, J., & Wen, Q. (2018). Flavonoids intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Medicine, 97(19).
- Chahar, M. K., Sharma, N., Dobhal, M. P., & Joshi, Y. C. (2011). Flavonoids: A versatile source of anticancer drugs. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 5(9), 1.
- Ghimire, K., Altmann, H. M., Straub, A. C., & Isenberg, J. S. (2017). Nitric oxide: what’s new to NO?. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, 312(3), C254-C262.
- Phaniendra, A., Jestadi, D. B., & Periyasamy, L. (2015). Free radicals: properties, sources, targets, and their implication in various diseases. Indian journal of clinical biochemistry, 30(1), 11-26.
- Hollenberg, N. K., Fisher, N. D., & McCullough, M. L. (2009). Flavanols, the Kuna, cocoa consumption, and nitric oxide. Journal of the American Society of Hypertension, 3(2), 105-112.
- Mogollon, J. A., Boivin, C., Lemieux, S., Blanchet, C., Claveau, J., & Dodin, S. (2014). Chocolate flavanols and skin photoprotection: a parallel, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Nutrition journal, 13(1), 1-12.