According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming flavonol-rich foods, like apples and blackberries, could help lower your risk of growing frail once you enter your golden years.
After looking at how the consumption of dietary flavonoids, their subclasses (i.e., flavonols, flavan-3-ols, flavonones, flavones, anthocyanins and polymeric flavonoids) and the flavonol quercetin impacted the onset of frailty among a cohort of older adults, researchers found that every 10 milligrams (mg) higher intake of flavonols per day lowered the participants’ risk of growing frail by 20 percent.
Frailty, it should be noted, carries a greater risk of falls, fractures, disability, hospitalization and death, and affects approximately 10 to 15 percent of older adults. The researchers shared that older adults can prevent frailty by eating one medium-sized apple a day, which provides 10 mg of flavonols (or more) when consumed with its skin on.
Flavonols, which are potent antioxidants, are found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Studies show that aside from neutralizing free radicals, flavonols also have antimicrobial, liver-protective, anti-inflammatory, vasodilating, antiallergic and antiviral properties that allow it to offer plenty of health benefits. A diet rich in flavonols has been shown to help lower the risk of many chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia.
Another important finding highlighted in the study was that, while the consumption of other flavonoid subclasses showed no association with frailty, increased consumption of the flavonol quercetin did. Every 10 mg higher daily intake of quercetin, which is the most abundant flavonoid in the human diet, was found to reduce adults’ risk of frailty by 35 percent. (Related: Quercetin can slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.)
According to Kathleen Benson, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, quercetin’s antioxidant properties and its ability to work synergistically with other nutrients are what makes it very helpful for treating age-related disorders. Also dubbed the “anti-aging flavonoid,” studies promote quercetin as a promising treatment for aging-related diseases because it “actively participates in the improvement of mitochondrial dysfunctions.” The natural decline in mitochondrial function, which accompanies the aging process, has been linked to conditions commonly observed among the elderly, such as metabolic disorders, central nervous system-related diseases and cancer.
https://naturalnews.com/2023-09-26-foods-high-in-flavonols-stay-strong-age.html
FReeQs are six years ahead of the curve... again!
I’ll try to post that on the Nat Health thread tomorrow.
Thanks, Melian. Save for later read