by: Kim Evans
(NaturalNews) Flavonoids and proanthocyanidins are often found in fruits and vegetables, and they are powerful cancer prevention agents. Essentially, flavonoids are potent antioxidants and our body uses them to lower inflammation, reduce blood pressure and fight off free radicals, which cause disease and age us, sometimes from the inside out. New research from Italy also shows us that plant based flavonoids help keep cancer at bay.
At going rate, about forty percent of the population is expected to have a problem with cancer, and it seems that just by really boosting your flavonoid intake on a regular basis, you could reduce that risk to around ten percent. We still wouldn't be at the level of Egyptians a few thousand years ago, as their mummies show us that they only had cancer in .5 percent of the population. But still, it's an enormous step in the right direction.
There are thousands of different types of flavonoids and they're in abundance in many fruits, vegetables and nuts. Actually, they are often what give fruit and vegetables their color. Berries, particularly red and blue berries, and dark grapes are potent sources of flavonoids. So are garlic, onion and green or white tea.
The flavonoid quercetin is abundant in garlic, onions and apples and it's important because it's a building block for many other flavonoids. Actually, eating lots of apples and pears has recently been found to significantly reduce the risk of having a stoke, and the quercetin in apples might be the reason.
Quercetin is also known for its ability to jump start the immune system and it's becoming thought of as one of the most powerful antioxidants. Quercetin is also helpful for a wide number of problems, especially when it's eaten in quantity.
One way to really boost your flavonoid intake is to get into juicing because you can consume the nutrients from far more fruits and vegetables from juicing them than you'd ever be able to eat. It's also easy and tasty to add some raw, chopped garlic or onion to top many meals.