Flavonoid-Rich Foods Like Blueberries Shown to Lower Mortality Risk

Blueberries have super-food status, and it is thanks in part to the fact that they are a flavonoid-rich food. A recent study has shown that blueberries and other flavonoid-rich foods reduce the risk of “all-cause mortality,” reports MedicalNewsBulletin.com. See the details of the study below.

Flavonoid-Rich Foods Defined

The study focused on flavonoid-rich foods; these include fruits like blueberries, strawberries, apples; vegetables like spinach and onions; and beverages, such as tea and red wine.

There are many different kinds of flavonoids, but they are all nutrients that are responsible for the yellow, red, or blue pigments found in plants, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Flavonoids give blueberries their bluish tinge. Many studies have shown the health benefits of flavonoids, and this one continues to prove the healthfulness of the nutrient.

Details of the Flavonoid-Rich Study

The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition, and it looked at collected data from over 93,000 women between the ages of 25-42 without any prior history of heart concerns, cancer, or stroke. Researchers followed the development of the health of these women for 16 years while also tracking their consumption of foods rich in flavonoids.

The research found:

• -Frequent consumption of flavonoid-rich foods was associated with reduced risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other causes.
• -Subjects who consumed the highest levels of total-flavonoids were less likely to die during the follow-up period than those who consumed the least.
• -Those subjects with the highest intake of anthocyanin—the flavonoids found in blueberries—Flavan-3-ols, and proanthocyanidins had a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other causes.

In short, consuming foods rich in flavonoids like blueberries is a smart way to promote overall health, and it surely complements other healthful lifestyle activities like getting daily exercise, avoiding smoking, and limiting consumption of alcohol.

If you’d like to find recipes for getting more flavonoid-rich blueberries into your diet for long-term health, check out the recipe pages on the Blueberries from Florida website.

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