Flavonoids Are Medicinal Substances Provided Only by Foods

Jun 30, 2011 by Emilia

Flavonoids or bioflavonoids are a diverse group of compounds that fall under the category of “antioxidants”. These compounds serve as antioxidants but they also perform other functions, among them, the prevention of inflammation.

Antioxidants are essential to protect your arteries and other tissues from oxidation, homocysteine, and inflammation. Plant foods are the most abundant sources of antioxidants, carotenoids, and phytochemicals, all of which significantly reduce inflammation.

Flavonoids in foods

The highest concentrations of flavonoids are found in vegetables, beans, and fruits. They are also present in black tea, green tea, and red wine. Foods contain innumerable substances that act in the body in very different ways.

Foods with the highest amount of antioxidants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University near Boston developed a scale to rate the antioxidant content of individual foods known as: the “oxygen radical absorbency capacity” scale, or ORAC. The following tables show the fruits and vegetables with the highest ORAC scores.

The USDA scientists found that 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day provide 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC points; this score is considered a high level protection against serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

It is important to keep in mind that these and other fruits and vegetables contain substances that have multiple functions, in addition to their antioxidant effects. Broccoli for example, contains a substance known as sulforaphane that has been shown to detoxify tissues and the blood and to stimulate the body mechanisms that fight cancer. Similar substances exist in kale, collard greens, watercress, and other green vegetables.

Another example is vitamin C, one of the more powerful controllers of oxidation and inflammation. We typically think of fruit as the primary source of vitamin C, but green and leafy vegetables are great providers of this important antioxidant.

Here are some numbers on vitamin C provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• 1 cup cooked broccoli, 140 mg
• 1 cup cooked Brussels sprouts, 97 mg
• 1 cup orange juice, 97 mg
• 1 raw green pepper, 95 mg
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, 85 mg
• 1 cup cooked cauliflower, 69 mg

Foods or supplements

 I guess the question now is: Should I take an antioxidant supplement and cover the necessities my body has for antioxidants? Probably NOT. The reason is that a food can contain a collection of antioxidants that reduce or stop oxidation, control inflammation, and boost immune function.  But that same food may also provide isoflavones, or plant hormones, that protect against many forms of cancer.

The reality is that you can’t put all of these chemicals in a pill. For one thing, we don’t know all the substances that may be active in any given food. Nor do we know how they behave when they are all together in one food to heal the body.

Final word

Let us keep in mind that the source of all nutrition in the planet is plants. The reason why beef, chicken, or pork contain nutrients is because chickens, cows, and pigs eat plants. But although animal foods contain certain nutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamin B11, they do not contain antioxidants or flavonoids. Plant foods, on the other hand, have tons of them.

And since we need antioxidants, flavonoids, and all the array of substances found in plant foods for good health, let us make them an important part of our meals.

To your good health!

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.
www.TheDiabetesClub.com
www.Discussions.TheDiabetesClub.com

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