Can flavonoids help us age better?

A large-scale study examining decades of dietary habits and health outcomes in U.S. nurses and male health professionals found that individuals with higher intakes of flavonoid-rich foods, such as tea, red wine, apples, and blueberries, experienced reduced risk of frailty, improved physical function, and better mental health as they aged. The study suggests simple dietary modifications could support healthy aging.

Read the full article at https://www.paperleap.com/blog/articles/can-tea-wine-and-berries-help-us-age-better-0cccun

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the paper Leap podcast, where a science takes
the mic. Each episode, we discuss cutting edge research, groundbreaking discoveries,
and the incredible people behind them, across disciplines and across
the world. Whether you're a curious mind, a researcher, or
just love learning, you're in the right place. Before we start,

(00:21):
don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an insight.
All the content is also available on paperleap dot com. Okay, ready,
let's start. Aging is one of the great certainties of life.
Thanks to modern medicine and public health advances, people are
living longer than ever before. But while life spans are increasing,

(00:44):
health spans the years we live in good health aren't
keeping up. Many older adults spend their later years battling frailty,
limited mobility, or declining mental health. How can we add
life to our ue, not just years to our life.
A team of researchers from Queen's University, belfast Edith Cowan

(01:08):
University in Australia, the Danish Cancer Society, Harvard th Chan
School of Public Health, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago,
and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston believe part of
the answer might be sitting in our fruit bowls or teacups.
Their study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

(01:31):
digs into whether eating more flavamoid rich foods like berries, apples,
citrus fruits, tea, dark chocolate, and even red wine can
help us stay stronger, sharper, and more resilient as we age.
Flavonoids are natural compounds found in many plant based foods.

(01:52):
They're the pigments that give blueberries their deep blue color,
red wine its rich hue, and citrus fruits their bright zest.
Scientists have long known that flavonoids have anti inflammatory and
antioxidant powers, which means they help combat the cellular wear
and tear that accumulates over time. Think of flavonoids as

(02:14):
tiny bodyguards patrolling your system. They calm chronic inflammation, which
is linked to conditions like arthritis, heart disease, and dementia.
They neutralize oxidative stress, the biochemical equivalent of rusting metal.
Some even appear to protect brain cells, which could help
preserve mental health. Previous research hinted that people who eat

(02:39):
more flavonoid rich foods tend to live healthier, longer lives,
but the new study goes Further zeroing in on specific
aging challenges frailty, physical function, and mental health. The researchers
turn to two famous long term studies. First, the Nurse's
Health Study and a CHESS Launched in nineteen seventy six,

(03:02):
it has tracked over one hundred and twenty thousand US
female nurses following their diet, lifestyle and health outcomes for decades. Second,
the Health Professionals Follow Up Study HPFS, started in nineteen
eighty six. This study followed more than fifty thousand male doctors, dentists,

(03:24):
and other health professionals. For this analysis, the team looked
at nearly sixty three thousand women and twenty four thousand
men aged sixty and older, tracking their food intake and
health outcomes over twelve to twenty four years. Participants filled
out detailed questionnaires every few years about what they ate,

(03:44):
how often they drank tea, ate apples, or enjoyed a
glass of wine. Researchers then matched these diets against whether
people later developed frailty, lost mobility, or struggled with depression.
For women, the results showed that flavonoids boost healthy aging.
Women who ate the most flavonoid rich foods were fifteen

(04:08):
percent less likely to become frail compared to those who
ate the least. Women were twelve percent less likely to
experience physical impairment like struggling to climb stairs or walk
long distances. Women also had a twelve percent lower risk
of developing poor mental health, including depression. The foods most

(04:30):
strongly linked to these benefits were tea, red wine in moderation, apples, blueberries, oranges,
and orange juice. Even small changes mattered women who simply
increased their intake of these foods over time, say by
adding a handful of blueberries a few times a week

(04:51):
or swapping soda for tea, showed measurable benefits. For men,
the results were more modest, but still notable. Those with
the highest flavonoid rich diets had a lower risk of
poor mental health, and regular tea drinkers and blueberry eaters
fared better to the fact that women seem to benefit

(05:12):
more strongly than men is evident, but the reasons aren't
entirely clear. It could be due to differences in metabolism, hormones,
or lifestyle, or perhaps the data reflect the fact that
women in the Nurse's Health study were tracked for longer
twenty four years compared to the men in the health
professional's follow up study twelve years. The researchers suggest more

(05:37):
research is needed to untangle these sex specific effects. This
study adds weight to a growing body of evidence that
diet isn't just about preventing heart disease or diabees. It
plays a role in how well we age. Frail tea,
loss of independence, and late life depression are often seen
as inevitable parts of getting older, but what if they

(05:59):
aren't so? Incorporating flavonoid rich foods into the diet may
be a simple, accessible strategy to support healthy aging. This
doesn't mean that flavonoids are a magic bullet. Healthy aging
is influenced by genetics, exercise, social engagement, and countless other factors.
But the beauty of this finding is its simplicity. Many

(06:22):
of the foods that help, like tea, fruit, and even
dark chocolate, are inexpensive, widely available, and enjoyable. So what
might this mean for your grocery list? You should sip
tea daily. Both green and black tea are rich, and
flavonoids skip the sugar from maximum benefit. Adding berries to

(06:42):
breakfast in your yogurt or oatmeal packs of powerful punch.
Science is even backing up the old and apple a daisy,
as apples consistently showed benefits in this study. You can
keep enjoying citchous as oranges and their juice were linked
to healthier aging too. Then at the end of the day,
d a small glass of red wine with dinner might

(07:02):
be protective, but moderation is key. Population aging is one
of the defining challenges of the twenty first century. By
twenty fifty, one in six people on Earth will be
over sixty five. That means billions of individuals, families, and
health systems will grapple with the question of how to
age not just longer but better. Studies like this one

(07:26):
suggest that the answer doesn't have to come from a
pill or high tech therapy. Sometimes it's simply what we
put on our plates. As the researchers conclude, flavonoid rich
foods may support healthy aging, and while they're careful not
to overstate the case, a diet rich and colorful fruits, tea,
and maybe the occasional glass of wine could be one

(07:49):
of the gentlest, most delicious tools we have to help
us thrive in later life. You don't need to chase
exotic superfoods or expensive supplements. Instead, you could just reach
for a cup of tea, a crisp apple, or a
bowl of berries. That's it for this episode of the
paper Leaf podcast. If you found it thought provoking, fascinating,

(08:12):
or just informative, share it with the fellow science nerd.
For more research highlights and full articles, visit paperleaf dot com.
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plenty more discoveries to unpack. Until next time, Keep questioning,
keep learning,