Writing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from Edith Cowan University, Queen’s University Belfast and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined associations between consumption of flavonoid-rich foods and indicators of unhealthy aging—namely frailty, impaired physical function and poor mental health.
“We found that participants who increased their intake of flavonoid-rich food by three servings a day, had a 6% to 11% lower risk across all three of the aging outcomes in females and a 15% lower risk of poor mental health in males,” study author Professor Eric Rimm from Harvard University shared in press release. “Overall, these findings underscore the potential for simple dietary modifications to impact overall quality of life and contribute to the optimization of healthy aging.”
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by funding from The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council with oversight from the USDA.
Flavonoids and better aging
The researchers noted that at a biological level, aging results from the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage, leading to a gradual decline in physical and mental capacities.
While people may be living longer, the number of years spent in good health has remained relatively unchanged, prompting the search for evidence-based prevention to prolong not only lifespan but healthspan.
This includes exploring flavonoids—bioactive compounds in foods like tea, apples, berries, citrus fruits, dark chocolate and red wine—that demonstrate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
“Flavonoids are well known for reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting blood vessel health and even helping to maintain skeletal muscle mass—all of which are important for preventing frailty and maintaining physical function and mental health as we age,” said senior author on the study Professor Aedin Cassidy from Queen’s University Belfast.
The study builds upon research demonstrating associations between habitual flavonoid intake and reduced odds of frailty and depression. Specifically, the researchers cite randomized controlled trials showing that flavonoids increase skeletal muscle mass and gait speed and improve physical performance and mobility in middle-aged and older adults.
“The goal of medical research is not just to help people live longer but to ensure they stay healthy for as long as possible,” added Dr. Nicola Bondonno, adjunct lecturer at Edith Cowan University and author on the study.
“We know from previous research that people who have a higher flavonoid intake tend to live longer, and they are also less likely to get any of the major chronic diseases such as dementia, diabetes or heart disease. Our research shows that people who consume more flavonoids tend to age better.”
Study details
The study followed up 62,743 females from the Nurses’ Health Study (1990–2014) and 23,687 males from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (2006–2018), collecting food frequency questionnaires at baseline and at four-year intervals thereafter to calculate flavonoid intake as over time.
Participants, all aged 60 years and over, self-reported associations with incident frailty, impaired physical function and poor mental health.
“In the Nurses’ Health Study, participants with the highest flavodiet scores, compared with the lowest, had a 15% lower risk of frailty, a 12% lower risk of impaired physical function and a 12% lower risk of poor mental health,” the researchers reported. “Increases in flavodiet scores and both higher intakes and increases in intakes of tea, red wine, apples, blueberries and oranges tended to be associated with lower risks of all outcomes.”
Noting that the stronger associations observed in women may be due to differences in follow-up time between the two cohorts rather than to true sex-specific effects, the study called for further research into potential sex differences in dietary risk factors for health in aging.
Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.02.010. “Associations between flavonoid-rich food and flavonoid intakes and incident unhealthy aging outcomes in older United States males and females”. Authors: Nicola Bondonno et al.
