- Experts say nutrition is important to overall health, especially in older age.
- Researchers report that foods rich in a compound known as flavonols can lower the chances of frailty.
- Foods that contain a high amount of flavonols include apples, blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, and dark chocolate.
Eating plant-based foods that contain a dietary compound known as flavonols may reduce the risk of frailty.
In a study published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers reported that a higher intake of flavonols was associated with lower odds of developing frailty.
“There may be some validity to the old saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor (or frailty) away,” the authors said in a press statement.
“Our findings suggest that for every 10 mg higher intake of flavonols per day, the odds of frailty were reduced by 20 percent. Individuals can easily consume 10 mg of flavonols intake per day since one medium sized apple has about 10 mg of flavonols,” they added.
Flavonols are a naturally occurring compound found in fruits and vegetables.
Sources of flavonols include berries, onions, peaches, tomatoes and kale. Flavonols can also be found in dark chocolate, tea and red wine.
“Flavonols belong to the polyphenol family, a broad group of compounds found in plants that have health benefits that include antioxidant effects and also improve peripheral endothelia (lining of the arteries) function,” Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LD, the president-elect of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who wasn’t involved in the study, told Medical News Today.
The researchers reported that food such as blackberries and apples that contain a type of flavonoid known as quercetin may be particularly important in preventing frailty.
“Although there was no significant association between total flavonoid intake and frailty, higher flavonols intake (one of the subclasses of flavonoids) was associated with lower odds of developing frailty. Specifically, higher quercetin intake…
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