Eating a few more fruits and vegetables and sipping a little tea each day can help keep high blood pressure at bay.
People who get more flavanols in their diet have lower blood pressure readings, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Reading in England.
Flavanols are compounds found in foods ranging from apples and scallions to tea and cocoa.
In the British study, participants with the highest 10% of flavanol intake had blood pressure readings that were 2 to 4 mmHg lower than people with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake.
To put that in perspective, such improvement is similar to what you can achieve by switching to the Mediterranean diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
The new research adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables regularly, says Rita P. Smith, a Charlottesville, Virginia-based registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator.
“Over the past 20 years, nutrition research has really honed in on the health benefits to eating a variety of plant foods,” she says.
Such foods naturally contain hundreds of phytochemicals or plant substances, as well as fiber, vitamins and minerals. All of these may protect your health in numerous ways.
What are flavanols?
So, what are flavanols? They are a type of flavonoid — a compound found naturally in many fruits and vegetables – rich in antioxidant properties.
Found in most fruits and vegetables, flavanols may reduce oxidative damage to the vascular system. Such damage can lead to cardiovascular disease, as well as a decline in cognitive health.
Fortunately, simply eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day will help us to get many health-boosting phytochemicals — including flavanols — into our bodies.
Smith says research has shown that a diet high in plant foods — including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts — may reduce the risk of developing several serious health conditions, including:
- Cardiovascular disease
- High blood pressure
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cancers of the colon, breast and prostate
Sometimes, the health benefits of flavanols can emerge in unexpected ways. A 2014 Columbia University Medical Center study found that consuming flavanol-rich cocoa can reverse age-related memory decline in healthy adults.
Getting more flavanols
Foods such as fruits and vegetables are the best sources of flavanols, Smith says.
“If we simply take a flavanol pill, we will miss out on the many nutrients packed into those fruits and vegetables,” she says.
She notes that all fruits have some flavanol content, but some are especially rich in the phytochemical. These include:
- Apples
- Apricots
- Blueberries
- Grapes
- Pears
Smith says there are many simple ways to get these flavanols into your diet. For example, you could mix blueberries into oatmeal, cold cereals and smoothies. Or, you can add fruits such as grapes to salads. Apricots also can be combined with nuts for snacking.
“Apples and pears can be diced or grated and added to muffins, pancake batter, stuffing and grain dishes,” Smith says.
Vegetables rich in flavanols include:
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Scallions
These vegetables can be include as side dishes during lunches and dinners. Or, include them in salads.
There are also some unexpected sources of flavanols — such as green or black tea. Smith suggests drinking tea every day.
“Brew your own, keeping the tea bag in the water for at least three minutes to extract the most flavanols,” she says.
Dark cocoa powder is another rich source of flavanols. Smith suggests stirring or blending such powder into coffee or smoothies.