Flavonoid-rich fruits, veggies a day can keep the kilos away

Washington DC: In the war against the weight, you may want to add apples, pears and berries to your arsenal as a recent study has revealed that flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables can keep the extra kilos at bay.

The study examined the association between the dietary intake of seven flavonoid subclasses and weight change in a large study of 124,086 men and women based across the US over 24 years.

Findings revealed that increased consumption of flavonoid subclasses was associated with less weight gain.

The greatest association was found for anthocyanins, flavonoid polymers, and flavonols: each greater standard deviation of daily intake was associated with 0.07- 0.10 kg less weight gained over four year intervals.

Blueberries and strawberries were the main source of anthocyanins, and flavan-3-ols and their polymers were mainly derived from tea and apples. Orange juice and oranges were the main sources of flavanone and flavones, and tea and onions were the main sources of flavonols.

The authors say that the findings may help to refine previous dietary recommendations for the prevention of obesity and its potential consequences.

In addition, they say that losing or preventing even small amounts of weight can reduce risk of diabetes, cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. They add that the results can provide guidance on which fruits and vegetables to choose for preventing weight gain.

The authors suggest that two cups of fruits and two and a half cups of vegetables should be consumed every day.

The study is published in The BMJ.