Besides the flavonoid intake, another purpose of this study was to find out if there were any socioeconomic differences between high and low flavonoid intake. Before I get to that, here are some of the results of this study.

The age group with the highest flavonoid intake was adults 51–70 with 293 mg/day. As education increased, so did flavonoid intake from 201 mg/day for those not completing high school to 251 mg/day for those with some college. Finally, the flavonoid intake remained the same throughout all three cycles of the study.

Socioeconomic status was correlated with flavonoid intake as well; the higher the status, the higher the flavonoid intake. Race, income, and education were all included in the analysis. But not all flavonoids—just flavan-3-ols. By nature of the analysis, flavan-3-ol intake was directly attributed to tea consumption. (If you want to try to increase your tea consumption, try making Paula’s Sugar-Free Sweet Tea; find the directions in the Recipe section of my Health Info page.)

The researchers were satisfied they had found a link to phytonutrient intake, specifically flavonoids, and non-nutritive factors. To me, it meant something entirely different and I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Nutr 2020;150:2147–2155.