Due to the presence of flavonoids, a daily cup of black tea could help you to enjoy better health late in life. Besides tea, flavonoids are also found in many common foods like apples, nuts, citrus fruit, berries, etc. They have many health benefits. A study of 881 elderly women (median age of 80) found they were much less likely to develop build-up of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) if their diet contained high levels of flavonoids. The abdominal aorta, the largest artery in the body, supplies oxygenated blood to the abdominal organs and lower limbs, and the level of AAC is a predictor of cardiovascular risk and late-life dementia.
According to researchers at ECU Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, while there are many dietary sources of flavonoids, some contain especially high amounts. The study’s main source of total flavonoids was black tea, which was associated with significantly lower levels of extensive AAC. Participants who drank two-to-six cups per day had 16-42% less chance of developing extensive AAC, as compared to those who didn’t drink tea. However, some food and beverages like fruit juice, red wine, and chocolate, which also contain flvaonoids, did not show a significant beneficial association with AAC.
Ref: Science Daily, November 22, 2022, https://bit.ly/3H17IGk