• Flavonoid-rich foods like berries, tea, apples, and red wine are linked to helping reduce the risk of frailty, cognitive decline, and physical impairment.

• A large 24-year study involving more than 85,000 participants found that those who consumed the most flavonoids had much better health outcomes, especially among women.

• Researchers highlight simple dietary changes, such as increasing plant-based foods and protein, as effective strategies for enhancing long-term health and resilience in aging.

The global anti-aging market is valued at around $52.44 billion, according to Grand View Research, and it is only expected to grow from here. However, instead of investing in various lotions and potions that may or may not effectively contribute to healthy aging, a group of scientists suggests that the fountain of youth could be hiding in your fridge.

In February, researchers from Edith Cowan University, Queen’s University Belfast, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showcasing how certain foods could help people age more gracefully and enjoy longer, healthier lives. It all comes down to flavonoids.

“The goal of medical research is not just to help people live longer but to ensure they stay healthy for as long as possible,” Dr Nicola Bondonno, an adjunct lecturer at ECU, shared in a statement. “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.”

Here’s what you need to know.

What exactly are flavonoids?

A 2016 research review in the Journal of Nutritional Science explains that flavonoids are “a group of natural substances … found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea, and wine.” Vegetables use them to help grow and defend against plaque buildup. They also provide the vibrant colors found in fruits, vegetables, and flowers. “Currently, there are about 6,000 flavonoids that contribute to the colourful pigments of fruits, herbs, vegetables, and medicinal plants,” the study stated.

What can these flavonoids do for people?

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,” professor Aedin Cassidy from Queens University Belfast, and senior author of the study, shared. “Our research shows that people who consume more flavonoids tend to age better.”

To come to this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which tracked 62,743 women and 23,687 men over the course of 24 years. They calculated flavonoid intake by tracking each study’s “food frequency questionnaires.”

Related: Only 1 in 10 People Age Well — and They All Have This Eating Plan in Common

After analyzing the numbers, the researchers found that women who consumed the most flavonoids had a 15% lower risk of frailty and a 12% lower risk of poor mental health. They also found that these women had a 12% lower risk of “impaired physical function” when compared to those with a lower flavonoid intake.

Men had fewer extreme health associations, but it still resulted in a net positive for those who consumed the most flavonoids. However, the researchers noted that this difference could be attributed to the varying follow-up times between the two gender cohorts.

“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 ageing outcomes in females, and a 15% lower risk of poor mental health in males,” Cassidy added.

The researchers found that these specific foods pack the biggest flavonoid punch.

According to the findings, “… increases in intakes of tea, red wine, apples, blueberries, and oranges [and orange juice] tended to be associated with lower risks of all outcomes.” The researchers also specifically highlighted black tea as an excellent option in a press release about their study.

However, the list of flavonoid-rich foods and drinks is much longer than that. As the review in the Journal of Nutritional Science explained, flavones, one of the subgroups within flavonoids, can be found in items such as celery, parsley, red peppers, chamomile, mint, and ginkgo biloba, white onions, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, grapes, and berries are “rich sources of flavonols.” It added that another subgroup, isoflavonoids, is somewhat more limited but is “predominantly found in soybeans and other leguminous plants.” Additionally, one more group, anthocyanins, which are the pigments “responsible for colors in plants, flowers and fruits,” are found in all the most colorful (and delicious) fruits, including “cranberries, black currants, red grapes, merlot grapes, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, bilberries, and blackberries.”

Related: This Inexpensive Fruit Can Help Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally, Study Suggests

Essentially, any fruit, vegetable, or tea will provide the flavonoids you’re looking for. But if you truly want to do everything possible to prevent frailty in old age, the researchers in the latest study indicate that you need one additional component: Protein.

“The significance of diet — both quantity and quality — in mitigating frailty is widely acknowledged, with higher protein intake, better diet quality, and a higher consumption of healthy plant-based foods, consistently being identified as key factors,: they noted. And as professor Eric Rimm from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health added, “Overall, these findings underscore the potential for simple dietary modifications to impact overall quality of life and contribute to the optimisation of healthy aging.” 

Read the original article on Food & Wine