Want to Improve Your Immune System?
Then Here's What You Need to Know about Flavonoids
by www.SixWise.com
For the first time ever, a study has proven that eating flavonoids,
a type of antioxidant that's especially concentrated in fruits
and vegetables, may boost your immune system.
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If you eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, you're
likely getting plenty of flavonoids. Be aware, however,
that cooking and processing greatly reduces these healthy
compounds in your food.
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How did the researchers come to this realization? By watching
birds.
Researchers from the University of Freiburg and the Max Plank
Institute for Ornithology in Germany offered blackcaps a choice
of two foods; they were identical except one contained more
flavonoids. Sure enough, the birds chose to eat the foods
that contained the extra antioxidants.
Next, they looked into what impact the flavonoids had on
the birds' health. Compared with birds not fed flavonoids,
those that ate modest amounts of the healthy antioxidants
for four weeks had stronger immune systems.
"We fed the birds an amount of flavonoids that they
would obtain by eating 1-2 blackberries, bilberries or elderberries
a day," said the lead author of the study, Carlo Catoni
of the University of Freiburg.
"We used this modest intake of flavonoids because high
quantities are only available during the limited time of maximum
berry abundance. Our study shows for the first time that flavonoids
are beneficial compounds that can boost the immune system
in a living organism," he continued.
What are Flavonoids?
Flavonoids are actually classified as plant pigments because
they're the substances that contribute to the red color in
grapes, and countless other shades of yellow, orange and red
in plants. In fact, there are over 6,000 types of flavonoids,
and they're found in virtually all plants.
In your body, flavonoids act as powerful
antioxidants that neutralize damage from free radicals.
They're known to:
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Help protect your blood vessels from rupture or leakage
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Enhance the power of vitamin C
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Protect your cells from oxygen damage
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Prevent
excessive inflammation in your body
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Along with fruits and veggies, green tea is an excellent
source of flavonoids.
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They are also known to support a healthy immune system, which
is why if you get a lot of colds or infections, your body
may be lacking in these healthy compounds. Other signs that
you're not getting enough flavonoids include:
Are You Getting Enough Healthy Flavonoids?
Because flavonoids exist in nearly all fruits, vegetables,
herbs and spices, it's not difficult to get plenty of these
antioxidants from your diet. However, if you don't eat many
fresh fruits and veggies, and instead rely on mostly processed
food, you could be missing out -- flavonoids are highly susceptible
to damage from processing and cooking.
For example, boiling fresh spinach removes half of the total
flavonoid content, and overcooking veggies is known to significantly
reduce levels as well.
Keeping that in mind, some of the best sources of flavonoids
include:
You can also get significant amounts of flavonoids by drinking
red wine and green
tea, which has about 1,000 mg per cup. For comparison,
black raspberries contain about 100 mg per ounce, and clinical
studies using flavonoids often use levels in the 500-3,000
mg range.
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Arthritis
Sources
Functional
Ecology, Volume 22 Issue 2 Page 303-310, April 2008
EurekAlert
March 31, 2008
NutraIngredients.com
April 1, 2008
The
World's Healthiest Foods