Enhancing Longevity through Diet: Berries and Flavanoids Potentially Crucial for Aging Gracefully
As lifespans increase, a greater emphasis is placed on healthy aging. Diet plays a crucial role in this, and a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that consuming more flavonoids could help lower the risk of certain aspects of unhealthy aging, such as frailty and poor mental health.
Nicola Bondonno, PhD, the study's first author, states that flavonoids are abundant in fruits, vegetables, and plant-based foods. These phytochemical compounds, which give many plants their vibrant colors, have health-promoting properties. According to Bondonno, flavonoids may protect against chronic diseases due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and they support blood vessel health and may help preserve muscle and brain function.
For this study, Bondonno and her team analyzed health data from over 85,000 participants aged 60 or more, from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. They found that female participants with the highest flavonoid intake had a 15% lower risk of frailty and a 12% lesser chance of impaired physical function. Moreover, these same female participants experienced a 12% lower risk of poor mental health.
Interestingly, the study did not find that high consumption of flavonoid-rich foods impacted male participants in the same way it did female participants. While male participants did experience a 15% decrease in their risk of poor mental health, there was no benefit for lowering frailty or impaired physical function risks.
Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist, suggested incorporating flavonoid-rich foods into your daily meals to reap their benefits. A sample diet featuring three servings of flavonol-rich foods a day could include:
- Breakfast: A cup of green tea or a smoothie with berries
- Lunch: A salad with kale, apples, walnuts, Gorgonzola, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing (with chives and garlic)
- Dinner: 4 ounces of fatty cold water fish, such as salmon or tilapia, topped with a strawberry salsa, 3/4 cup roasted sweet potatoes, and 2/3 cup long grain rice, 2 ounces dark chocolate, and 5 ounces red wine or grape juice.
Flavonoids offer numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, cancer risk reduction, better blood sugar regulation, neuroprotection, and enhanced longevity. With their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, they can potentially slow down negative aspects of aging. Lifestyle modifications through diet offer a proactive and accessible method to promote healthy aging, addressing the root causes of aging-related decline rather than just treating symptoms.
- As lifespans increase, emphasis is placed on healthy aging, with diet playing a crucial role in this process.
- A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that consuming more flavonoids could help lower the risk of certain aspects of unhealthy aging.
- Nicola Bondonno, PhD, the study's first author, states that flavonoids are abundant in fruits, vegetables, and plant-based foods.
- These phytochemical compounds, which give many plants their vibrant colors, have health-promoting properties.
- For this study, Bondonno and her team analyzed health data from over 85,000 participants aged 60 or more.
- Female participants with the highest flavonoid intake had a 15% lower risk of frailty and a 12% lesser chance of impaired physical function, as well as a 12% lower risk of poor mental health.
- Monique Richard, a registered dietitian nutritionist, suggests incorporating flavonoid-rich foods into your daily meals to reap their benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, cancer risk reduction, and enhanced longevity.
