Researchers in the United Kingdom studied the diets of more than 25,000 people in the UK and compared what they ate with their blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Most other research relies on participants to keep food diaries, but they are often flawed due to their tendency to reduce protein and sugar intake, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
What’s more, the amount of flavonols in certain foods can vary widely. For example, the amount found in tea, one of the main sources of diet in the UK, ranges from 10 milligrams per 100 grams of tea to 330 milligrams per 100 grams of tea.
This is an important and high-quality investigation of some of the physiological effects of dietary flavonoids in a large UK population, said Ian Johnson, a nutrition researcher at the Quadrum Institute of Biosciences in the UK and an Emirates partner. Johnson was not involved in the research.
He told the Science Media Center in London that “its importance lies in the use of flavored oid intake in objective wholesale biomarkers, as it contradicts estimates based on what inappropriate measures of food quantity and composition are required.”
“Using this approach, the authors showed that systolic blood pressure was lower in participants who consumed the lowest amounts of flavonoids than those who consumed lower amounts.”
Relatively small effect
Researchers have found that the difference in blood pressure between 2 to 4 mmHg is between people with the lowest levels of flavonol and those with the highest intake of 10%.
This is a “relatively small” effect, Jones said.
However, the study said it is comparable to changes in blood pressure or a moderate reduction in salt intake seen in people following a hypertension (DSH) diet or following dietary approaches.
The study found no link between flavonol intake and the risk of heart disease such as heart attack and stroke, or no link with mortality – either due to cardiovascular disease or some other cause.
“Unlike self-reported dietary data, nutrient biomarkers can address the vast variability in food composition. Therefore, we can confidently hold organizations responsible for consuming flavonol,” said Gunter, a professor at the University of Food and Readings. Nutrition science, which led the study.
The study said large-scale trials would be needed to test their observations that blood pressure could be explained by differences in flavonol intake.
Flavonols are a subgroup of flavonoids found in foods such as tea (mainly green but also black) and in fruits such as apples, pears and berries. In the UK, tea is the largest source of food for most people. In the United States, Kuhnl said the main sources are potentially berries and apples.
In plants, compounds primarily act to protect plants against predators or pests. For humans, many of these compounds have a biological effect, Kuhnel said. Although the exact method is not understood, they seem to push the right biological buttons.
“Tea, apples, berries, nuts and many other foods based on plants contain flavonols, (and) These are bioactive food ingredients associated with low risk factors for cardiovascular disease, as shown in this large and very well-conducted study, “said a senior lecturer in public health nutrition at the University of Glasgow, who was not involved. .An Media Center stated.
“Investing in research that provides a better estimate of dietary intake such as surrogate biomarkers used in this study is a great step forward for a better understanding of the interplay between diet and disease.”
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