Flavonoids, pigments present in foods and drinks such as coffee, tea and chocolate, are healthy for the body, especially when it comes to the cardiovascular system. News that comes from scientific evidence:German research has investigated the effects of these elements on the heart and intestines, discovering that those who consume them regularly have better results. We read the details from nutritionfoundation.it.
Flavonoids: beneficial effects on the body
The evidence supporting a positive effect of flavonoids on cardiovascular health is now consistent. On the other hand, it is emerging that flavonoids, pigments naturally present in foods such as berries, apples, tea, wine and dark chocolate,interact with the intestinal microbiota, at the level of which they influence the growth of specific strains, and are transformed into metabolites that could be responsible for part of the effects of these molecules on the organism.
This is confirmed by the results of a German study conducted on 904 healthy adults aged between 25 and 82 in which the highest intake levels of foods rich in flavonoids, including berries and red wine, corresponded to systolic blood pressure values. significantly lower and a greater diversity of the intestinal microbiota (a characteristic considered favorable) compared to lower consumption. In particular,the daily consumption of 1.6 portions of berries, as well as the weekly intake of 2.8 glasses of red wine (foods notoriously rich in flavonoids and in particular anthocyanins), was associated with both lower systolic blood pressure levels of 4.1 mm Hg and 3.7 mm Hg, respectively, and greater microbial diversity. In particular, with higher intake levels of flavonoids from red fruits, pears and apples, a lower abundance of Parabacteroides was detected, the presence of which generally correlates with significantly higher blood pressure values.
The interesting data, the authors suggest, is that the positive association observed between flavonoids and blood pressure is explained by approximately 12% (in the case of berries) and up to 15% (in the case of red wine) from the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota of the study participants.
Conclusions
These observations, according to which the protective association highlighted in various studies between the intake of foods rich in flavonoids and blood pressure would also be partly explained by the characteristics of the microbial communities that populate the intestine (which can in turn be modulated by diet) and by their role in the metabolism of flavonoids, therefore suggest that a perhaps relevant part of the interactions between food and health is mediated by the structure and metabolic effects of the intestinal microbiota.