CATEGORY: EATING FOR HEART HEALTH
Variety may matter as much as quantity when it comes to plant foods and your heart. In a study of more than 124,000 UK adults, those who ate the widest range of flavonoid-rich foods — the natural compounds found in tea, berries, apples, and dark chocolate — had about a 10% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who ate the narrowest range, even after accounting for how much they ate.1
What Flavonoids Are
Flavonoids are colorful compounds that plants make, and they turn up in everyday foods such as tea, apples, berries, grapes, oranges, and dark chocolate. In the body they are thought to support the lining of your blood vessels and help calm inflammation — the immune system’s low-grade “simmer” that, over years, can stiffen and narrow arteries. Different flavonoid-rich foods contain different types, which is one reason researchers looked at eating a mix.
How the Study Worked
Researchers drew on the UK Biobank, a large health study, and analyzed 124,805 adults aged 40 and older who completed repeated 24-hour diet questionnaires. For each person they scored both the total amount of flavonoids eaten and the diversity — how many different flavonoid-rich food sources appeared in the diet. Participants were then followed for roughly 9 to 11 years, with heart disease and death recorded through health registries.1
Both Amount and Variety Counted
People with the greatest flavonoid diversity had about 10% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and about 14% lower risk of dying from any cause than those with the least diversity, even when the total amount was held steady. Eating more flavonoids mattered too, and independently — so combining a higher intake with a wider variety was linked to the lowest risk. Because this is an observational study, it shows an association rather than proof that flavonoids directly protect the heart.
Ordinary Foods, Not Supplements
Tea was the single biggest source in this population, followed by everyday items like apples, berries, grapes, and dark chocolate. The takeaway is not an exotic ingredient or a pill: it is the simple idea of drawing flavonoids from several normal foods rather than relying on just one. The study did not test supplements, and its message centers on a varied, ordinary diet.
Key Takeaways
- In more than 124,000 UK adults, a wider variety of flavonoid-rich foods was linked to about 10% lower cardiovascular disease risk and 14% lower risk of death from any cause.
- Variety and amount each mattered on their own, so a mix of sources such as tea, berries, apples, and dark chocolate may be more useful than leaning on a single food.
- This is an observational study, so it points to an association, not proof of cause and effect.
- If you have heart disease or are managing risk factors, your healthcare provider can help you see how eating patterns fit into your overall plan.
References
- Parmenter BH, Thompson AS, Bondonno NP, Jennings A, Murray K, Perez-Cornago A, Hodgson JM, Tresserra-Rimbau A, Kühn T, Cassidy A. High diversity of dietary flavonoid intake is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and major chronic diseases. Nature Food. 2025;6(7):668–680. link