Are fruits and vegetables bad for you?
Contrary to recent absurd reports implying that fresh whole plant foods might not be good nutrition (see last Monday's e-Alert "Stop The Presses!" 4/28/03), we know, without question, that fruits and vegetables are good for us. And a complete list of all of the specific reasons why they're good for us could fill a dozen e-Alerts. But for today we'll concentrate on just one aspect of fruit and vegetable goodness: the humble, hard-working, defensive coordinator of the plant world: the flavonoid.
Flavonoid is a substance that gives fruits and vegetables their color. It also performs a beneficial double duty as both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. In short: it's excellent nutrition. And absolutely necessary in helping your cells do their work.
Knowing the benefits of flavonoid, researchers at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, launched a major study to examine the effects of different varieties of flavonoids on chronic diseases. Using a cohort of a little more than 10,000 men and women, the researchers used questionnaires and interviews to determine each subject's dietary history during the year before the study began. Flavonoid intakes were estimated based on the known flavonoid concentrations in specific foods. Then, through national prescription and disease registries, the subjects were tracked for up to 28 years.
The conclusion: subjects who consumed more flavonoid-rich foods were less likely to suffer from a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, asthma, and type II diabetes. Furthermore, those who ate foods that provided a variety of different types of flavonoids enjoyed greater longevity. As I said: excellent nutrition.
In addition to these broad conclusions, the researchers reported some useful specifics about which flavonoids work best on certain diseases. The stars of the group were two flavonoids called quercetin and kaempferol. Quercetin is most abundant in apples, but is also found in onions, citrus fruits, parsley, green tea and red wine. Kaempferol is also found in onions, as well as in broccoli. Subjects who had high levels of both of these flavonoids in their diets were found to have a 21% lower risk of heart disease than those who ingested small amounts of the two. In addition, subjects with kaempferol-rich diets had a 30% less chance of stroke.
Diets that include good amounts of quercetin also may provide some protection against lung cancer, asthma and type II diabetes. And another flavonoid called myricetin, found in cranberries, was shown to have a slight preventive effect on prostate cancer. Results of the study also indicated that when a good variety of flavonoids are ingested, their combined effect improves their antioxidant qualities.
In last Thursday's e-Alert ("Long Live The Revolution" 4/24/03), I told you about an article coming up in the May issue of the HSI Members Alert that examines studies that show how types of flavonoids found in green and black teas may help lower cholesterol. The title of the article is "You Don't Need Expensive-and Dangerous-Statin Drugs!" and it introduces a new supplement called TheaChol that can deliver a dosage of flavonoids equal to 25 to 57 cups of tea - just in case you don't want to spend most of your day doing nothing but brewing tea.
But whether or not you ever drink a single cup of tea, it's a good idea to do what your Mom told you to do many years ago: eat your fruits and vegetables. And then when you tell the same to your kids, add this: eat a wide variety, and eat them often.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
"Flavonoid Intake and Risk of Chronic Diseases" American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002 Sep;76(3):560-8
"Plant Compounds Eradicate Disease" Dr. Joseph Mercola, 9/28/02
"Plant Compounds Keep Disease Away" Marritt McKinney, Reuters Health, 9/10/02 "Flavonoids Help Prevent Heart Disease, Cancer, Asthma" Fern Garber, 9/13/02 "Immune System Foods" The Natural Health Place "Protecting Cell Protection" Aim for Health
"Experts Outline Cancer, Diet Evidence" Emma Ross, Associated Press, 9/12/02 |
