Most of us don’t need another reason to indulge in chocolate, but what about berries or tea?
“This is an exciting finding that shows that some components of foods that we consider unhealthy like chocolate or wine may contain some beneficial substances,” said co-author Professor Tim Spector, dir. of the TwinsUK study from King’s College London in a press release.
New findings show eating high levels of flavonoids including anthocyanins and other compounds could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. These beneficial flavonoids are found in berries, tea, and chocolate.
“Our research looked at the benefits of eating certain sub-groups of flavonoids. We focused on flavones, which are found in herbs and vegetables such as parsley, thyme, and celery, and anthocyanins, found in berries, red grapes, wine and other red or blue-colored fruits and vegetables,” said lead author Professor Aedin Cassidy from UEA’s Norwich Medical School in a press release.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and King’s College London found people who ate a high level of these dietary compounds had better blood glucose regulation and a lower insulin resistance.
“We found that those who consumed plenty of anthocyanins and flavones had lower insulin resistance. High insulin resistance is associated with Type 2 diabetes, so what we are seeing is that people who eat foods rich in these two compounds – such as berries, herbs, red grapes, wine– are less likely to develop the disease,” said Cassidy.
Researchers also discovered those in these food groups had lower inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, according to the study.
“We also found that those who ate the most anthocyanins were least likely to suffer chronic inflammation – which is associated with many of today’s most pressing health concerns including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer,” said Cassidy.
Almost 2,000 healthy women volunteered to be involved in the study. Each participant took a food survey designed to estimate total dietary flavonoid intake from six subclasses.
Researchers also analyzed blood samples from each study participant for glucose regulation and inflammation.
“This is one of the first large-scale human studies to look at how these powerful bioactive compounds might reduce the risk of diabetes,” said Cassidy. “What we don’t yet know is exactly how much of these compounds are necessary to potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.”
The new findings are published in the Journal of Nutrition.
