Think you're eating healthy? You may be missing this heart-protecting nutrient
Key takeaways
- Adding foods like blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad beans, and cherries to your daily diet, especially when paired with green tea, could be a simple way to support heart health, according to new research.
- The researchers discovered that fewer than 20% of people reached the flavanol intake level associated with heart health benefits.
- Javier Ottaviani, the study's lead author, said: "Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough of them.
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
Adding foods like blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad beans, and cherries to your daily diet, especially when paired with green tea, could be a simple way to support heart health, according to new research.
A large international study led by scientists from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Inc., found that most people are not consuming enough flavanols, natural compounds linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
The researchers discovered that fewer than 20% of people reached the flavanol intake level associated with heart health benefits. Even many individuals who regularly ate the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables failed to meet that target.