Flavonoids for the young, carotenes for the old?

By 1. February 2013Blog, Health, Nutrition

So, we have already reported on publications claiming links between lycopene intake and reduced incidence of stroke or heart disease in older men.

Now, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health,  Boston, USA, have published a paper claiming an inverse link between consumption of foods high in a group of flavonoids called anthocyanins and risk of heart attacks.

Nearly 94,000 women between the ages of 25 and 42 years old were followed up on for 18 years  and cases of heart attacks were recorded. Women who regularly consumed strawberries and blueberries (more than 3 times per week) had a reduced risk of heart attack. The data was corrected for general fresh fruit and vegetable intake.

The full publication is available from the journal Circulation’s website.