Latest news with #AedínCassidy
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
These four surprising foods could help you live longer and reduce inflammation
New research has found that these tasty snacks may ward off a multitude of serious ailments A new study has identified four foods that could help elongate our lifespans, and even cut the risk of diseases like Parkinson's, cancer and diabetes. Scientists across several universities from Northern Ireland to Vienna conducted a study that may have found the key to living longer. The study found that incorporating certain foods into your diet could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurological diseases. Researchers from Queen's University Belfast, Edith Cowan University Perth (ECU), and the Medical University of Vienna and Universitat Wien led the study, which was published in Nature Food. Tea, berries, dark chocolate and apples are high in compounds called flavonoids, and consuming a variety of foods containing these compounds could extend your life expectancy, according to the new research. Flavonoids are a group of plant compounds that are high in antioxidants, and can be found in a range of foods, predominantly fruit and vegetables including broccoli, onions, tomatoes, peaches and grapes. Previous studies have pointed towards their abilities to prevent health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and therefore contribute to longevity. But this was the first study to identify that eating a variety of foods containing the compounds could impact life expectancy, rather than just the quantity consumed. The new study tracked the progress of over 120,000 participants aging from 40 to 70 years old for over 10 years. First author and co-lead of the study Dr Benjamin Parmenter said: "Flavonoid intakes of around 500 mg a day was associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality, as well as a 10 per cent lower risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease. That's roughly the amount of flavonoids that you would consume in two cups of tea." But consuming a wide diversity of flavonoids had an even lower risk of these diseases, even when consuming the same total amount of the plant compounds. So instead of just drinking tea or eating apples, it's better to eat a range of flavonoid-rich foods to make up your intake- and even red wine is rich in the antioxidant compounds. Another co-lead on the study, Professor Aedín Cassidy said: "We have known for some time that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids, powerful bioactives naturally present in many foods and drinks, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and neurological conditions like Parkinson's. "We also know from lab data and clinical studies that different flavonoids work in different ways, some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation. This study is significant as the results indicate that consuming a higher quantity and wider diversity has the potential to lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just a single source." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Your ‘five-a-day' now includes chocolate... and wine
For those people who find cramming in five portions of fruit and veg a day about as appealing as limp lettuce, scientists have good news: now you can count red wine and dark chocolate. A new five-a-day diet including tea, apples, oranges and berries – all foods rich in chemicals called flavonoids - will help people to live longer, a study has found. Flavonoids have a range of benefits, including lowering high blood pressure and dampening inflammation. Scientists have long known them to be good for health, but the new study is the first to investigate the benefits of a diversity of different flavonoids, not just the quantity. There are five main groups of flavonoids covering dozens of unique chemicals, but one main tranche is anthocyanins, found in abundance in grapes and red wine. Tea is rich in flavan-3-ols, another flavonoid, while orange juice is full of flavonones, and kale has high levels of flavones. Some foods, such as apples and tea, contain several flavonoids of different categories, while some only contain one. Scientists looked at the benefits of a diversity of these chemicals in a person's diet by assessing almost 125,000 Britons enrolled in the UK Biobank. Specific food and drink intake was compared to health outcomes over a decade of follow-up by scientists at Queen's University Belfast. Participants who consumed at least 1,000 milligrams of flavonoids a day were a fifth less likely to die during the study period, data showed, confirming that flavonoid quantity was linked to better health. Further analysis on the impact of flavonoid diversity found people in the lowest 20 per cent of the study consumed on average just one food product which was rich in flavonoids a day. Those in the top 20 per cent who ate five portions of flavonoid-rich foods a day were found to have a 16 per cent lower risk of death during the study period. Prof Aedín Cassidy, study author and chair in nutrition and preventive medicine at Queen's University Belfast, told The Telegraph: 'A flavonoid 'five-a-day' has the potential to reduce mortality. 'The data suggest that there is a benefit to consuming a wide range of flavonoids beyond that of simply consuming a high quantity as different flavonoids work in different ways, some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation. 'So having a variety of flavonoid-rich foods is important – eg one apple, a handful of berries, two cups of tea, and one orange. Other rich sources are onions, red wine, grapes, plums, and red cabbage.' People who hit their flavonoid five-a-day were also found to be 10 per cent less at risk of cardiovascular disease, when accounting for factors such as sex, education, BMI, profession, income, alcohol and smoking habits, prior medical history and other aspects of diet. The cancer risk was also 20 per cent lower for five-a-dayers compared to those who ate just one of their five-a-day, the study found. Risk of respiratory conditions was eight per cent lower, data showed, and there was no link for neurodegenerative conditions. 'Our findings highlight the importance of consuming a diverse range of flavonoids for the management of chronic disease risk, which, from a public health perspective, provides support for consuming a variety of flavonoid-rich foods such as green and/or black tea, berries, apples, oranges and grapes,' said the study authors in their paper. 'The collective actions of multiple flavonoids appear to lead to greater health protection compared with single subclasses or compounds. 'We found that consuming both a higher quantity and wider diversity of dietary flavonoids appears better for longer-term health than higher intakes of either component alone.' The study has been published in Nature Food. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Diet containing foods with this key component can lead to longer life, study finds
A diet containing daily servings of tea, berries, apples, oranges or grapes may lower the risk of early death and promote longevity. A new study published in the journal Nature Food concludes that people who consume a diverse range of foods rich in flavonoid molecules may have a lower risk of developing chronic health conditions and a higher potential to live longer. Consuming flavonoid food sources in the form of tea, berries, dark chocolate, and apples can prevent the development of conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart and neurological diseases, scientists, including from Queen's University Belfast, say. 'We have known for some time that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids, powerful bioactives naturally present in many foods and drinks, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes as well as neurological conditions like Parkinson's,' study co-author Aedín Cassidy explains. 'We also know from lab data and clinical studies that different flavonoids work in different ways, some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation.' Flavonoid molecules are found abundantly in blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, grapes, and even tea, red wine and dark chocolate. 'Flavonoid intakes of around 500mg a day were associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality as well as a 10 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease,' Benjamin Parmenter, another author of the study, says. 'That's roughly the amount of flavonoids that you would consume in two cups of tea.' The study, which involved tracking over 120,000 people aged 40 to 70 for over a decade, is the first of its kind to highlight a benefit to consuming a diverse range of flavonoids beyond simply consuming a high quantity. The findings indicate consuming a higher quantity and a wider diversity of flavonoid foods can lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just a single source. The research is in line with the popular belief that eating colourful foods is invaluable to maintaining good health. 'Eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours, including those rich in flavonoids, means that you are more likely to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to sustain a healthier lifestyle,' study author Tilman Kuhn says. 'The results provide a clear public health message,' says Dr Cassidy, 'suggesting that simple and achievable dietary swaps, like drinking more tea and eating more berries and apples, can help increase the variety and intake of flavonoid-rich foods, and potentially improve health in the long term.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Diet containing foods with this key component can lead to longer life, study finds
A diet containing daily servings of tea, berries, apples, oranges or grapes may lower the risk of early death and promote longevity. A new study published in the journal Nature Food concludes that people who consume a diverse range of foods rich in flavonoid molecules may have a lower risk of developing chronic health conditions and a higher potential to live longer. Consuming flavonoid food sources in the form of tea, berries, dark chocolate, and apples can prevent the development of conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart and neurological diseases, scientists, including from Queen's University Belfast, say. 'We have known for some time that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids, powerful bioactives naturally present in many foods and drinks, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes as well as neurological conditions like Parkinson's,' study co-author Aedín Cassidy explains. 'We also know from lab data and clinical studies that different flavonoids work in different ways, some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation.' Flavonoid molecules are found abundantly in blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, grapes, and even tea, red wine and dark chocolate. 'Flavonoid intakes of around 500mg a day were associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality as well as a 10 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease,' Benjamin Parmenter, another author of the study, says. 'That's roughly the amount of flavonoids that you would consume in two cups of tea.' The study, which involved tracking over 120,000 people aged 40 to 70 for over a decade, is the first of its kind to highlight a benefit to consuming a diverse range of flavonoids beyond simply consuming a high quantity. The findings indicate consuming a higher quantity and a wider diversity of flavonoid foods can lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just a single source. The research is in line with the popular belief that eating colourful foods is invaluable to maintaining good health. 'Eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours, including those rich in flavonoids, means that you are more likely to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to sustain a healthier lifestyle,' study author Tilman Kuhn says. 'The results provide a clear public health message,' says Dr Cassidy, 'suggesting that simple and achievable dietary swaps, like drinking more tea and eating more berries and apples, can help increase the variety and intake of flavonoid-rich foods, and potentially improve health in the long term.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Diet containing foods with this key component can lead to longer life, study finds
A diet containing daily servings of tea, berries, apples, oranges or grapes may lower the risk of early death and promote longevity. A new study published in the journal Nature Food concludes that people who consume a diverse range of foods rich in flavonoid molecules may have a lower risk of developing chronic health conditions and a higher potential to live longer. Consuming flavonoid food sources in the form of tea, berries, dark chocolate, and apples can prevent the development of conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart and neurological diseases, scientists, including from Queen's University Belfast, say. 'We have known for some time that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids, powerful bioactives naturally present in many foods and drinks, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes as well as neurological conditions like Parkinson's,' study co-author Aedín Cassidy explains. 'We also know from lab data and clinical studies that different flavonoids work in different ways, some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation.' Flavonoid molecules are found abundantly in blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, grapes, and even tea, red wine and dark chocolate. 'Flavonoid intakes of around 500mg a day were associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality as well as a 10 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease,' Benjamin Parmenter, another author of the study, says. 'That's roughly the amount of flavonoids that you would consume in two cups of tea.' The study, which involved tracking over 120,000 people aged 40 to 70 for over a decade, is the first of its kind to highlight a benefit to consuming a diverse range of flavonoids beyond simply consuming a high quantity. The findings indicate consuming a higher quantity and a wider diversity of flavonoid foods can lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just a single source. The research is in line with the popular belief that eating colourful foods is invaluable to maintaining good health. 'Eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours, including those rich in flavonoids, means that you are more likely to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to sustain a healthier lifestyle,' study author Tilman Kuhn says. 'The results provide a clear public health message,' says Dr Cassidy, 'suggesting that simple and achievable dietary swaps, like drinking more tea and eating more berries and apples, can help increase the variety and intake of flavonoid-rich foods, and potentially improve health in the long term.'
