A diet rich in flavonoids, based on foods such as apples or tea, would protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease, especially in smokers and alcoholics.
Tea, coffee, grapes, onions, apples, cocoa… A diet based on these foods rich in flavonoids, plant pigments with antioxidant and anticancer properties, could reduce mortality and the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
It is the result of a study conducted by a team of researchers from Edith Cowan University, published in the journal NatureCommunicationswhich shows a strong statistical association between diets rich in flavonoids and reduced mortality.
500 milligrams of dietary flavonoids per day
The researchers analyzed the eating behaviors of more than 53,000 Danes over a period of 23 years. They noticed that the mortality of those following a diet rich in flavonoids was reduced. Above all, this protective effect of plant pigments was greater for people who smoked or consumed more than two alcoholic drinks per day.
Study participants who consumed an amount of flavonoids equal to 500 milligrams per day remained the healthiest. “It is important to consume a wide variety of flavonoids present in different foods or beverages, explains Nicola Bondonno, lead author of the study. A diet with a cup of tea, an apple, an orange, 100 grams of blueberries and 100 grams broccoli provides a wide variety of flavonoids in amounts greater than 500 milligrams”.
However, even if the study highlighted a correlation between consumption of flavonoids and reduced mortality, the exact nature of this protective effect remains to be determined.
“Alcohol consumption and smoking increase inflammation of blood vessels and reduce their proper functioning, which increases the risk of many diseases, explains Bondonno. Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties and improve the functioning of blood vessels, which could explain why their consumption leads to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer.”
It will also be necessary to determine which cardiovascular diseases and which cancers are more likely to be prevented through the consumption of flavonoids.
In France, cardiovascular diseases are the second cause of death (the first for women), according to the Ministry of Health. They are responsible for around 140,000 deaths per year.
.
