What Are the Benefits of Flavonoids?

Flavonoids are a class of beneficial compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and herbs that have numerous health-promoting properties. Research suggests that many of these compounds, which can be seen in the pigment of brightly colored vegetation, may help prevent cancer, protect against heart disease, and even prevent the degenerative effects of accelerated aging. Many of the health benefits of flavonoids can be enhanced with the addition of vitamin C, helping the body utilize more of its properties. Rigorous testing of these compounds may find that there are even more benefits of flavonoids to human health than currently known, making them a fascinating subject in scientific research.

Research suggests that flavonoids, which are a class antioxidants, may help protect the body from cancer by fighting dangerous free radicals. Free radicals can create inflammation and damage cells, so preventing these actions is crucial when trying to avoid or alleviate bodily disease. Flavonoids on their own cannot treat any illness, but most research indicates that these compounds may help prevent debilitating diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer's. This has lead aother researchers to study the roles of antioxidants even further so that a cure to these disease might one day be discovered.

Heart disease prevention seems to be another potential beneficial effect of flavonoids, which might help reduce the likelihood of dying from a heart attack or stroke. Since heart disease can be brought on by the effects of chronic inflammation, it is theorized that the anti-inflammatory effect of antioxidants play a key role in heart disease prevention. Cells involved with inflammation, as well as the immune system, all seem to alter their expression in the presence of these antioxidants. Scientists suggest that flavonoids help increase the body's production of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, giving some explanation to the powerful effects of these compounds.

In the presence of vitamin C, flavonoids seem to be enhanced, making their absorbability and utilization rates higher than when consumed alone. It is not known why this occurs, yet some researchers believe that vitamin C can act as an antioxidant itself, increasing the rate of accompanying antioxidants and beneficial compounds. Flavonoids, when combined with vitamin C, have been seen to slowly improve joint movement and flexibility, which is an important subject in alleviating the effects of aging. Antioxidants in general have also been shown to have this same effect in both animals and humans.