DIETARY FLAVONOL INTAKE MAY LOWER STROKE RISK IN MEN AND WOMEN

Flavonols are strong antioxidants in plant foods and tea is a major dietary source. There is evidence from prospective cohort studies that tea and flavonols are inversely related to stroke incidence. Researchers performed a metaanalysis search (combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses)of prospective cohort studies to assess quantitatively the strength of the association between flavonol intake and stroke incidence. Prospective cohort studies with data from individuals free of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) or stroke at baseline were included in the metaanalysis. Persons were followed for between 6 and 28 y. Data from 6 cohorts involving 111,067 persons with at least 2155 nonfatal and fatal cases were pooled. A high intake of flavonols compared with a low intake was inversely associated with nonfatal and fatal stroke with a pooled relative risk. Overall, article concludes that flavonols may reduce stroke risk.

Sourse: Hollman PC, Geelen A, Kromhout D.
J Nutr. 2010 Mar;140(3):600-4. Epub 2010 Jan 20