Flavonoid-Rich Foods Linked to Lower Frailty Risk in Older Adults

CATEGORY: FOODS & NUTRIENTS

How well you hold onto your strength and independence as you age may have something to do with what fills your fruit bowl and your teacup. In a 2025 study that followed more than 86,000 older adults, women who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods — flavonoids are the natural compounds that give many plants like berries, tea leaves, apples, and oranges their color and flavor — were about 15% less likely to become frail over time than women who ate the least.¹

What the Researchers Found

The study tracked three signs of aging poorly. “Frailty” means a state of reduced strength, energy, and resilience that leaves people more vulnerable to falls, illness, and slow recovery. “Impaired physical function” refers to trouble with everyday physical tasks, such as climbing stairs or walking a distance. “Poor mental health” was measured through questionnaires covering mood and emotional wellbeing. Compared with women who ate the fewest flavonoid-rich foods, those who ate the most had roughly 15% lower risk of frailty, 12% lower risk of impaired physical function, and 12% lower risk of poor mental health. Among men, the links were weaker overall, though the highest flavonoid intake was still associated with a lower risk of poor mental health.¹

How the Study Worked

Researchers drew on two long-running U.S. studies: 62,743 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, followed from 1990 to 2014, and 23,687 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, followed from 2006 to 2018. Everyone was aged 60 or older. Participants filled out detailed diet questionnaires at the start and again roughly every four years, which let the researchers estimate each person’s typical flavonoid intake from foods over many years rather than from a single snapshot. Over the follow-up period — more than two decades for the women — participants also reported on their strength, physical function, and mental wellbeing, and the researchers compared aging outcomes across people with higher versus lower flavonoid diets.¹

Why Flavonoids May Matter

Scientists have several plausible explanations for why these plant compounds might be tied to healthier aging, though this study was not designed to prove any single one. Flavonoids appear to help calm chronic inflammation — a low, persistent “smoldering” in the body that is thought to wear down muscles, joints, and blood vessels over time. They also act as antioxidants, meaning they help neutralize unstable molecules that can damage cells, and they may support the health of the small blood vessels that feed the brain and muscles. Increasing intake by about three daily servings of flavonoid-rich foods was associated with 6% to 11% lower risk across the aging outcomes in women.¹

Reading the Results With Care

This was an observational study, which means it can show an association between flavonoid-rich diets and healthier aging but cannot prove that the flavonoids themselves caused the difference. People who eat more berries, tea, and fruit may also exercise more, smoke less, or have other habits that support healthy aging, and the researchers can only partly account for those factors. The takeaway is not a specific target to hit but a signal that everyday, flavonoid-rich foods eaten as part of a normal, varied diet are associated with a smaller chance of frailty and better physical and mental function later in life.¹

Key Takeaways

• In a large 2025 study, older women who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods had about 15% lower risk of frailty and 12% lower risk of impaired physical function and poor mental health than those who ate the least.
• Common sources of flavonoids include tea, berries, apples, and oranges — ordinary foods rather than supplements.
• Because this was an observational study, it shows an association, not proof that flavonoids cause healthier aging.
• If you are thinking about changes to your diet — especially if you have a health condition or take medications — talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian about what makes sense for you.

References

1. Bondonno NP, Liu YL, Grodstein F, Rimm EB, Cassidy A. Associations between flavonoid-rich food and flavonoid intakes and incident unhealthy aging outcomes in older United States males and females. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2025;121(5):972–985. link