Flavonols are found in plant-based foods with onions, apples, berries, kale, cacao, and broccoli having the highest concentrations.
Vopr Pitan. 2013. Biologically active substances of plant origin. Flavonols and flavones: prevalence, dietary sources and consumption. Flavonoids are the most numerous group of natural polyphenolic compounds, the secondary metabolites of plants that may play an important role in human health protection. Flavonols and flavones constitute the main two classes of flavonoids, whose antioxidant properties and high biological activity have been proofed both in vitro and in vivo. This review summarizes data, concerning the structure, occurrence and content of the main flavonols (quercetin, kaempherol, myricetin, isorhamnetin) and flavones (apigenin, luteolin) in some most widely consumed foodstuffs, including vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, beverages and other products of plant origin.
Health benefits
Epidemiological studies suggest that a
high dietary intake of flavanols, a subclass of flavonoids, is associated with
reduced risk of vascular disease. Clinical studies have also shown that the
consumption of certain flavanol-rich foods (e.g., cocoa, tea, red wine), as well
as intake of the individual flavanol epicatechin, can result in improvement
in a number of parameters associated with vascular disease, including improved
endothelial function, reduced platelet reactivity, and reduced oxidative stress.
Some of the common flavonols include:
Fisetin is a natural
flavonol found in edible vegetables, fruits, and wine.
Kaempferol
flavonol
Myricetin flavonol
Quercetin is one
of the most widely found flavonols in fruits and vegetables consumed by humans.
Not so common flavonols are:
Icariin, a substance
found in horny goat weed plant that has blood vessel dilation benefits.
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Supplement Facts:
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
is a well-known antioxidant.
Citrus bioflavonoids
(eriocitrin,
hesperidin,
flavonols,
flavones,
flavonoids, naringenin, and
quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids
(alpha carotene,
astaxanthin,
beta carotene, cryptoxanthin,
Lutein,
Lycopene,
Zeaxanthin)
Bilberry
extract (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo biloba
(Ginkgo biloba)
Suma extract (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna pruriens
extract (Cowhage)
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Lycium berry extract (Lycium Barbarum) - also known as
Goji Berry
Sarsaparila (Sarsaparilla Smilax)
Alpha Lipoic acid helps
with visual health
Blood Thinning Flavonols
in Chocolate and Cocoa
An increasing number of foods have been reported to have
platelet-inhibitory actions, and research with a number of flavanol -rich
foods, including, grape juice, cocoa and
chocolate,
suggests that these foods provide some protection against thrombosis.
Consumption of flavanol -rich
cocoa inhibit several
measures of platelet activity including,
epinephrine -
and ADP-induced glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and P-Selectin expression, platelet
microparticle formation, and epinephrine-collagen and ADP-collagen induced
primary hemostasis. The epinephrine-induced inhibitory effects on GP IIb/IIIa
and primary hemostasis are similar to, though less robust than those
associated with the use of low dose (81 mg) aspirin. Flavanols present in
cocoa and chocolate can modulate platelet function through a multitude of
pathways.
Brain health and memory
A lab-created cocoa drink with
a high flavonol content, created by Mars, Inc., appears to improve
normal age-related memory loss, a small study suggests, Oct. 26, 2014
Nature Neuroscience.
Heart
disease, and stroke
Foods rich in flavonoids -- from apples and pears to dark chocolate and
red wine -- may help shield postmenopausal women from coronary heart
disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke, a new study shows. Flavonoids
have been hypothesized to protect the heart by reducing levels of
low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol and reducing inflammation.
Dr. Pamela J. Mink of Exponent, Inc., used three newly available databases
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine the flavonoid contain
of foods, the researchers analyzed results of food questionnaires on diet
from 34,489 postmenopausal women participating in the Iowa Women's Health
Study. Dr. Pamela J. Mink and colleagues specifically examined the
association between the amount of flavonoids the diet and heart disease
and death over a 16-year period. The new information allowed the
researchers to look at both total flavonoids and seven different
subclasses of the plant compound. Three subclasses of flavonoids,
anthocyanidins, flavanones, and flavones, were linked to a significantly
reduced risk of heart disease, blood vessel disease or cardiovascular
disease mortality. Specific foods also were linked to risk reductions in
heart, blood vessel disease and mortality as well, including bran, apples,
pears, red wine, grapefruit, strawberries and chocolate. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, March 2007.
Flavonols and pancreatic
cancer
Evaluation of the eating patterns of 183,000 California and Hawaii
residents has found evidence that a diet high in flavonols reduces the
risk for pancreatic cancer. During an average of 8 years, 529 subjects
developed pancreatic cancer. People who had the largest amount of
flavonols in their diet -- measured with a "food frequency" questionnaire
-- had a 23-percent lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared
with people with the lowest levels, Dr. Ute Nöthlings from the German
Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke reported at the annual
meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Los Angeles in
April 2007.
Research studies
Biofactors. 2013. Flavonols enhanced production of anti-inflammatory
substance(s) by Bifidobacterium adolescentis: Prebiotic actions of
galangin, quercetin, and fisetin.
Vascular and anti-oxidant actions of flavonols and flavones.
Clin Exp Pharmacology Physiology. 2004.
Flavonols and flavones are plant-derived polyphenolic compounds that are
commonly consumed in the diet. Epidemiological studies indicating that
high dietary intake reduces the risk of mortality due to coronary heart
disease have provoked interest in the mechanism of this cardioprotective effect. We have investigated the structure-activity relationships of a range of flavonols and flavones with regard to their vascular relaxant and anti-oxidant
activity. In rat isolated thoracic aorta, the synthetic flavonol
3',4'-dihydroxyflavonol was found to be a significantly more potent vasorelaxant than the naturally occurring compounds chrysin, apigenin, luteolin,
quercetin and fisetin.
Vasorelaxing effects of flavonoids: investigation on the possible
involvement of potassium channels.
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacology. 2004.
A flavonoid-rich diet has been associated with a lower incidence of
cardiovascular diseases, probably because of the antioxidant and vasoactive
properties of flavonoids. Indeed, many flavonoids show vasorelaxing properties,
due to different and often not yet completely clarified mechanisms of action.
Among them, the activation of vascular potassium channels has been indicated as
a possible pathway, accounting, at least in part, for the vasodilatory action of
some flavonoid derivatives, such as apigenin and dioclein. Therefore, this work
aims at evaluating, on in vitro isolated rat aortic rings, the
endothelium-independent vasorelaxing effects of a number of flavonoid
derivatives, to identify a possible activation of calcium-activated and/or
ATP-sensitive potassium channels and to indicate some possible
structure-activity relationships. Among the several flavonoids submitted to the
pharmacological assay, only baicalein and quercetagetin were almost completely
ineffective, while quercetin, hesperidin, quercitrin and rhoifolin exhibited
only a partial vasorelaxing effect. On the contrary, acacetin, apigenin,
chrysin,
hesperetin, luteolin, pinocembrin, 4'-hydroxyflavanone, 5-hydroxyflavone,
5-methoxyflavone, 6-hydroxyflavanone and 7-hydroxyflavone, belonging to the
chemical classes of flavones and flavanones, showed full vasorelaxing effects.
The vasodilatory activity of hesperetin, luteolin, 5-hydroxyflavone and
7-hydroxyflavone were antagonised by tetraethylammonium chloride, indicating the
possible involvement of calcium-activated potassium channels. Moreover,
iberiotoxin clearly antagonised the effects of 5-hydroxyflavone, indicating the
probable importance of a structural requirement (the hydroxy group in position
5) for a possible interaction with large-conductance, calcium-activated
potassium channels.
Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a
significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood
pressure in healthy persons.
Am J Clin Nutrition. 2005.
Numerous studies indicate that flavanols may exert significant vascular
protection because of their antioxidant properties and increased
nitric
oxide bioavailability. In turn, nitric oxide bioavailability deeply
influences insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and vascular tone. 15 healthy subjects were randomly assigned to
receive for 15 d either 100 g dark chocolate bars, which contained
approximately 500 mg polyphenols, or 90 g white chocolate bars, which
presumably contained no polyphenols. Systolic blood
pressure was lower after dark than after white chocolate ingestion and insulin
sensitivity was better.
Flavonol antioxidant supplement questions
Does kava
kava contain flavonols?
I don't know, if it does the flavonol content is
probably not too high.
Do you see
any problems taking
nattokinase supplement, garlic, vitamin C,
serrapeptase enzyme or ahcc
supplement
with a flavonol supplement?
As long as the dosages are kept low, it should be
okay to take them the same day.