Flavonoider
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Flavonoider (bioflavonoider)
Flavonoids are found in most plants. The researchers believe these drugs may have a protective effect on cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Antioxidants from:
fruits, berries, vegetables, roots, grains, nuts, beans, peas
(flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanols, anthocyanidins and isoflavones)
The most famous types of flavonoid are quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin and catechins. We normally eat up to 650 mg of flavonoids from the food per day. Some of the foods that contribute flavonoids are onions, kale, apples, broccoli, berries, grapes, citrus fruits, soy and chocolate. Vegetables growing above the soil contain more flavonoids than those underground. The flavonoids often sit in and directly beneath the shell. If you scratch apples, you halve the antioxidant level because the flavonoid under the shell is removed with the shell. The same applies when you remove the white membranes around the orange segments or the brown film on walnuts and almonds.
The flavonoids are no nutrients like vitamins and minerals. But they seem to have something of the same effect as C and E vitamin in protecting the cells from damage. Like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene (precursor to vitamin A) and some minerals, many flavonoids are so-called antioxidants. That is, they protect the cells from attacks by harmful substances (free radicals), and prevent fats in the cells from oxidizing or rancidify.
Used in folk medicinePlants with high flavonoid content have from ancient times been used in folk medicine against a variety of disorders such as diabetes, inflammation, allergies, headaches and colds. In the East, green tea is widely used for various diseases. Green tea is one of the most important flavonoid sources in Eastern's diet.
It made a comprehensive mapping of antioxidant content in fruits, berries, vegetables, roots, grains, nuts, beans and peas.