Eating different kinds of foods that are rich in natural compounds called flavonoids — like tea, berries, dark chocolate, and apples — can help people live longer and stay healthier, a new study shows.
Researchers from universities in Vienna, Belfast, and Perth studied over 120,000 people aged 40 to 70 for more than ten years. They found that eating many types of flavonoid-rich foods lowers the chance of getting serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders.
Flavonoids are found in many plant-based foods like tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, grapes, dark chocolate, and even red wine.
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Dr. Benjamin Parmenter, one of the main researchers, said people who consume about 500 mg of flavonoids daily — which is about the amount in two cups of tea — had a 16% lower risk of dying from any cause and about a 10% lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and lung problems.
But the important thing is not just the amount, but eating a variety of flavonoid-rich foods. Different flavonoids work in different ways — some help lower blood pressure, others reduce cholesterol or inflammation. So, eating a mix of foods like tea, berries, apples, and dark chocolate is better than eating just one type.
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Professor Aedin Cassidy, co-lead of the study, explained that this is why having a diet with a wide range of flavonoids can better protect health than focusing on just one food.
