Tea, berries and other foods rich in flavonoids can help you age better, the results of the study

One apple a day can keep signs of aging – just like a cup of tea, a handful of berries or a portion of citrus.

A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating foods rich in flavonoids – such as black tea, bays, citrus and apples – could help reduce the risk of specific elements of unhealthy aging, including fragility, altered physical function and poor mental health.

According to the author of the Nicola Bondonno study, PHD, postdoctoral researcher at the school of medical sciences and health at the Edith Cowan University in Australia, this research is based on previous studies showing a bond between a higher consumption of flavonoids, antioxidant compounds found in many foods based on plants and a reduced risk of chronic conditions such as hearts, type 2 diabetic and detection.

“Our latest research is added to this by showing that the contribution to strong flavonoids is also linked to a lower risk of physical fragility, poor mental health and reduction of physical function as people age,” said Bondonno Health. “In real life, it means remaining mobile, independent and mentally lively longer, which makes the experience of aging much more positive and less heavy for individuals and their families.”

The Bondonno team used data from the study on nurses’ health (NHS) and the monitoring study of health professionals (HPFS), which has been operating since the 1970s and 80s, respectively. Participants fulfill the regime questionnaires every four years and add information on their development of new diseases.

For their new study, Bondonno and his colleagues examined people aged 60 or over followed by the NHS from 1990 to 2014 and HPFS from 2006 to 2018. In the end, this gave them data on more than 62,000 women and 23,000 men.

To analyze the impact of flavonoids on aging in this population, researchers noted at what frequency of people consumed foods rich in flavonoids such as tea, apples, oranges, grapefruits, blueberries, strawberries and red wine.

They then created a “Flavodiet score” according to the number of portions of these foods that people ate daily. “This helps translate research into real world advice and shows how whole diets, not just isolated nutrients, support healthy aging,” said Bondonno.

Once the researchers have determined the scores of the flavodies, they could compare them with information on self -declared health, in particular the experience of increased fragility, physical disabilities and poor mental health.

The higher the Flavodiet scores of the highest people, the lower their risk of age -related results.

Women with the highest flavonoid intake had a risk of fragility of 15%, a risk of altered physical function by 12% and a mental health risk of 12% compared to those with the lowest inputs.

And although researchers have found fewer associations between flavonoids and aging in men, those with the highest flavodiet scores had a lower risk of mental poor health. (Bondonno explained that sexual differences could be due to differences in the follow -up duration of each group rather than a real biological imbalance.)

Despite the encouraging results, research comes with warnings.

“This is an observation study based on food questionnaires every four years,” Darshan Shah, MD, surgeon expert and longevity of the board of directors, Darshan Shah, MD, MD, MD, MD, MD, Health. “Observation studies show no causality, just an association.”

According to Shah, other variables, such as higher physical activity levels, could be the real cause of better health -related health results in flavonoid consumers.

He also said that it was difficult to rely on self -depressed food information. “Food frequency questionnaires ask people to generally remember how much they ate in memory, and as we know, our memory is not always used properly,” he said.

If flavonoids strengthen healthy aging, what is the key to helping them?

Like other antioxidants, flavonoids fight against inflammation, which can help avoid diseases. But, according to Kathryn Piper, RDN, LD, NBC-HWC, of ​​the dietitian defying age, flavonoids can have a unique advantage over other antioxidants.

“Research suggests that flavonoids support a process called autophagy,” she said Health. “Consider autophagy as how to clean the house of the body, getting rid of the old harmful cells to make room for new and healthy.”

Due to this cell renewal work, foods rich in flavonoids can contribute to a healthier body and mind during the aging process, she said.

Bondonno added that flavonoids also help reduce oxidative stress, support healthy blood vessels and can even play a role in maintaining muscle mass.

“These combined effects can influence many systems in the body at once,” she said. “While research continues, we learn that flavonoids can have even more advantages than we currently understand.”

According to Shah, more research is needed before food with strong flavonoids are labeled as a fountain of young people.

However, other experts have said that adding more of these foods to your diet is always intelligent for healthy aging.

“Everyone should consider including food richer in flavonoids in their diet to prosper at the elderly,” Maggie Moon, MS, RD, author of The Mind Diet: 2nd editionsaid Health.

The suggestions of the Moon and Piper to incorporate more foods rich in flavonoids in your day include:

• Start your day with a cup of green tea
• Make a smoothie that includes blueberries, strawberries and raspberries
• Enjoy a small glass of 100% orange, concord or wild juice with a balanced breakfast
• Snack apples and peanut butter
• Offer you an occasional dark chocolate dessert (70% or more)
• Flavor your meals with herbs full of flavonoids like parsley and oregano

The sooner you start these eating habits, the better. “Start early and be consistent, ideally in an environment of life or earlier, to allow protective effects to accumulate over time,” said Piper.