subject: Minimise Unnecessary Inflammation And More With These 4 Flavonoid Benefits [print this page] The flavonoids are a group of plant based nutrients that can be found in fruits, nuts, vegetables and teas. They are not believed to be essential to human health but research has revealed they have certain benefits such as keeping your eyes strong and preventing arthritis. In this article I will be taking a deeper look at the topic and outlining 4 flavonoid benefits.
1) KEEPING YOUR BLOOD HEALTHY:
Your blood is crucial to the overall running of your body. It removes waste products from the body, helps the immune system fight disease and infection (with white blood cells), carries oxygen to the cells that require it and much more. The good news is that the flavonoids boost your blood health in multiple ways.
For starters, they act as hypolipidemics (substances that lower the level of lipids in your blood) and improve blood circulation. In addition to this, they protect your blood from various disorders including atherosclerosis (a condition where hard plaques develop inside your artery walls and prevent proper blood flow), arteriosclerosis (a condition where your arteries become hard and inelastic) and haemophilia (a condition where your wounds will not heal and instead bleed rapidly and uncontrollably). Finally, they lower blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (a type of cholesterol which builds up on the artery walls and prevents proper blood flow) and regulate high blood pressure (a condition where your blood pressure reaches dangerously high levels and starts to damage your cells and vital organs).
2) PREVENTING ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis is a condition where your joints become inflamed. It is normally very painful and leads to stiffness, swelling and redness around the affected joints. Fortunately, 1 of the important flavonoid benefits is that they prevent arthritis and relieve the associated symptoms.
3) MINIMISING UNNECESSARY INFLAMMATION:
Inflammation is your body's natural way of dealing with infection, injury, irritation or stress. It can lead to a number of unpleasant symptoms such as heat, pain, redness and swelling. Although it is uncomfortable, inflammation is generally a positive thing as it shows your body has identified a problem and is dealing with it. However, in certain circumstances inflammation is not necessary and causes pain, discomfort and damage to your body's cells. The good news is that the flavonoids are powerful anti-inflammatories (substances that minimise unnecessary inflammation) which can ensure you only experience inflammation when necessary.
4) SUPPORTING HEALTHY EYES:
Your eyes provide you with a fantastic sense - sight. They are also 1 of the first things that deteriorate when you get older. Fortunately, 1 of the brilliant flavonoid benefits is that they can protect your vision as you get older. They do this by preventing a number of age related eye conditions such as cataracts (clouding on the lenses of the eyes) and glaucoma (a disease that damages the optic nerves and reduces vision).
SUMMARY:
Despite not being classed as essential nutrients, the flavonoids still have a lot to offer in terms of health. If your diet does not contain many fruits, nuts and vegetables and you go for hot chocolate instead of tea then you could be really missing out. So make the effort to consume these natural nutrients and start enjoying the many flavonoid benefits.
