You might be eating five portions of fruit and veg a day – but it still might not be enough
Even people who eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day may be missing out on an important nutrient, researchers have suggested.
Less than one in five people get enough flavanols in their diet, but consuming plenty of blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad beans and cherries, all with green tea, is an ideal way to boost levels of this nutrient.
Flavanols, found in fruits as well as dark chocolate, are a type of antioxidant that can support heart health and improve circulation by reducing inflammation.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Javier Ottaviani said: “Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough.
“Most people assume that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables covers this, but this research shows that the specific choices you make are much more important than the total amount. Adding a handful of berries, a whole apple, or a cup of green tea to your meal can make a real difference in how much of these beneficial compounds you consume and get from your diet.”
One to work published in the magazine Food and FunctionResearchers tracked the diets of 30,000 people from the US and UK and found that most people did not consume enough flavanols (500 mg) each day.
The largest flavanol clinical trial, conducted by researchers at Harvard, found that a daily intake of 500 mg of flavanols significantly reduced the risk of dying from heart disease, but most people do not consume this amount.
Foods with the highest flavanol content per serving include:
- Plums (500g, roughly one basket): about 450mg flavanols
- Cranberries (250g, roughly one basket): about 300mg flavanols
- Blackberries (200g, roughly one fruit basket): about 250mg flavanols
- Green tea (one 250 ml cup): approximately 200 mg flavanols
- Fava beans/fava beans (80g, small handful): about 140mg flavanols
- Cherries (400g, roughly one basket): about 130mg flavanols
- Apples with peel (200g, one medium apple): about 110mg flavanols
- Strawberries (200g, roughly one basket): about 90mg flavanols
- Blueberries (150g, roughly one fruit basket): about 80mg flavanols
- Pinto beans (40g, two tablespoons dry): about 70mg flavanols
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, from the University of Reading, said: “Five doses a day is the right message, but we may need to think more carefully about which is five.
“Different fruits and vegetables offer very different nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals, and as our understanding of these compounds increases, there is a real opportunity to make dietary guidance more specific and more effective.”
Researchers at the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School and the University of California at Davis are working with chocolate manufacturing giant Mars Inc., which is investigating cocoa flavanol supplements. They are doing flavanol studies with .
Although some small studies show that flavanols may have a positive effect on blood pressure, there is not enough evidence to support consuming more flavanol-rich foods.
Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said people should be encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables, but not just for their antioxidant properties.
“The main rationale for this continues to be increasing fiber intake, which has a much more robust and consistent evidence base. At present, there is insufficient justification to focus specifically on flavonoid-rich foods,” he said. Independent.
