Edith Cowan University

A daily cup of tea could help you to enjoy better health late in life — however if you’re not a tea drinker, there are other things you can add to your diet.

The key is flavonoids, naturally occurring substances found in many common foods and drinks such as black and green tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruits, berries and more.

They have long been known to have many health benefits, but a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) suggests they may even be better than previously thought.

There are many dietary sources of flavonoids, some with very high levels, said Ben Parmenter, researcher and principal investigator at ECU’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute.

“In most populations, a small group of foods and beverages — uniquely high in flavonoids — contribute the bulk of total dietary flavonoid intake,” he said.

“The main contributors are usually black or green tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, red wine, apples, raisins/grapes and dark chocolate.”

There are various types of flavonoids, such as flavan-3-ols and B. flavonols, which the study indicated appear to also associate with  abdominal aortic calcification (AAC).

Study participants with higher total intakes of flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols were 36-39% less likely to have extensive AAC.

Black tea was the main source of all flavonoids in the study group and was significantly less likely to contain extensive AAC.

Compared to respondents who didn’t drink tea, participants who drank 2 to 6 cups a day were 16 to 42% less likely to get advanced AAC.

However, some other food sources with flavonoids, such as fruit juice, red wine, and chocolate, did not show a significant positive association with AAC.

While black tea was the main source of flavonoids in the study (possibly due to the age of the participants), Mr. Parmenter said people could reap the benefits of flavonoids without turning off the kettle.

“Out of the women who don’t drink black tea, higher total non-tea flavonoid intake also appears to protect against extensive calcification of the arteries,” he said.

“This implies flavonoids from sources other than black tea may be protective against AAC when tea is not consumed.”

Mr. Parmenter said this was important because non-tea drinkers can benefit from flavonoids in their diet.

 “In other populations or groups of people, such as young men or people from other countries, black tea might not be the main source of flavonoids,” he said.

“AAC is a major predictor of vascular disease events, and this study shows intake of flavonoids, that could protect against AAC, are easily achievable in most people’s diets.”

Published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: “Higher usual dietary intake of flavonoids is associated with less extensive abdominal aortic calcification in a cohort of older women.”