Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Study of 2375 women shows that a high intake of dietary anthocyanins and flavonols from apples, red wine, and strawberries significantly reduced inflammation which may reduce the risk of  chronic diseases.

Inflammation plays a key role in a range of different chronic diseases and conditions, from Parkinson’s disease to cancer to heart disease and arthritis (1), all of which are responsible for 7 out of every 10 deaths each year and 86% of the U.S.’s health care costs (2).

As a result, finding ways to help manage inflammation levels may provide long-term health benefits. Now a new study (3) suggests that anthocyanins and flavonoles, antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, may be an option. In the study, 2,375 subjects (1069 men, 1306 women) participating in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort (4) completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire (4). The researchers then obtained blood samples and used an inflammation score “that integrated 12 individual inflammatory biomarkers to help them examine associations with intakes of different flavonoid classes.”

The researchers found “an inverse association between higher anthocyanin and flavonol intakes and inflammation score”. Specifically, higher intakes (at least 7 servings vs.1 serving or less per week) of apples and pears (p = 0.006), red wine (p = 0.001), and strawberries (p = 0.02) were associated with a significantly lower inflammation score. As the researchers did not describe the intricacies of their inflammation score, no specific risk reductions for chronic diseases were quantified.

The encouraging aspect of these results is that “These effects are readily achievable by relatively small changes to the habitual diet.” Specifically, a ½-cup serving of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or red grapes or a 5-oz glass of red wine would provide 21, 30, 121, 37, and 28 milligrams of anthocyanins, respectively.

While the researchers suggest their study “provides evidence to suggest that an anti-inflammatory effect that is due to intakes of anthocyanins and flavonols may contribute to the reduction in risk of certain chronic diseases”, they admit that “Dose-response intervention studies are needed to determine the optimal dose and source for reducing inflammation on the basis of multiple biomarkers of inflammation and, ultimately, indicators of disease risk.”

Source: Jennings, Amy, et al. “Intakes of anthocyanins and flavones are associated with biomarkers of insulin resistance and inflammation in women.” The Journal of nutrition 144.2 (2014): 202-208.

© 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Posted June 30, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Calder PC, Ahluwalia N, Albers R, Bosco N, Bourdet-Sicard R, Haller D, Holgate ST, Jonsson LS, Latulippe ME, Marcos A, et al. A consideration of biomarkers to be used for evaluation of inflammation in human nutritional studies. Br J Nutr 2013;109(Suppl 1):S1–34
  2. “Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion” posted on the CDC website
  3. Cassidy A. Higher dietary anthocyanin and flavonol intakes are associated with anti-inflammatory effects in a population of US adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2015 May 27. pii: ajcn108555. [Epub ahead of print]
  4. Jacques PF, Cassidy A, Rogers G, Peterson JJ, Meigs JB, Dwyer JT. Higher dietary flavonol intake is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes. J Nutr 2013;143:1474–80