Diet is a great ally against diseases and tumors, more and more scientific studies are confirming it. And this important result has been supported also by a very recent research published a few days ago in the prestigious journal Nature Communications by a team of scientists from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia [1].
In particular, scientists have studied the habits of 53048 people in 23 years. What has been pointed out is that the people who used to consume moderate to high amounts of flavonoid-rich foods, which are antioxidants found in plant-based foods and vegetable drinks, also had a lower risk of developing tumors and cardiovascular diseases. Maximum protection has been achieved with a daily consumption of 500 mg of flavonoids, a quantity that can be easily reached with a healthy diet. In fact, a cup of tea, an apple, an orange, 100 grams of blueberries and 100 grams of broccoli provide a wide range of flavonoids and a total amount of these beneficial substances even greater than 500 mg.
Not only that, the protective effect of flavonoids has also been observed very clearly in people who had a greater risk of becoming ill, such as smokers and alcohol drinkers (those who consume more than two glasses of alcohol). This effect is related to the anti-inflammatory and beneficial action of flavonoids on the functionality of blood vessels.
For this reason, according also the authors of the study, these results are really important to encourage people to follow a diet that includes more foods rich in flavonoids, such as, for example, tea, apples, blueberries, broccoli, oranges but also pears, chocolate and grapes. Meanwhile, the research will continue with the aim to understand which types of heart diseases and cancers are most protected by flavonoids.