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  Flavonoids are a subfamily of the largest group of antioxidant plant pigments, phenolics.

Review a previous summary from the Berry Doctor's Journal

 To keep it simple....6 steps to understanding flavonoids....

1. Phenolics (also called polyphenols) are a group of thousands

of phytochemicals serving defensive and attractant roles in plants

to assure safety, recovery and dissemination of the species.

2. Flavonoids are a smaller group of thousands of phytochemicals having generally similar

chemical structure and also with the same roles for the plant

as mentioned above.

3. Flavonoids are most often recognized for yet a smaller group of hundreds

of plant chemicals called anthocyanins which give

colorful plants their bright colors.

4. Think of most colorful flowers and berries

and you are seeing the pigment effects of anthocyanins.

5. Due to their attraction as colors, anthocyanins and other flavonoids

have captured the attention of scientists, first researching what roles these chemicals play in plants, but then, for edible colorful plants, asking what role they may play

in humans who eat colorful flavonoid-rich plants like berries.

6. Our interest in berries is usually about their antioxidant roles -- certainly deserving,

as berries are rich in colors and antioxidant food value.

A smoothie full of flavonoid-rich berries

Two new scientific studies on flavonoids

1. Flavonoid intake lowers cardiovascular disease mortality by 9-12% (click!)

Preference for eating strawberries, red wine, other fresh fruits, chocolate and bran by over 34,000 middle-age women for 16 years lowered risk against cardiovascular mortality.

2. Flavonoids may act against disease mechanisms by tuning up the body's defenses (click!)

This new theory suggests a totally different concept about how flavonoids work in humans eating flavonoid-rich foods like berries. The mechanism does not involve a role as antioxidants.

• the body sees flavonoids as foreign compounds, and through different mechanisms, they could play a role in preventing cancer or heart disease.

• the amount of flavonoids found in a healthy diet with five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables is sufficient. Large doses taken via dietary supplements might do no additional good; one serving of berries (or any flavonoid-rich fruit) a day may still be the best bet.

• "We now know that flavonoids are highly metabolized, which alters their chemical structure and diminishes their ability to function as an antioxidant," said Dr. Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute in Corvallis, Oregon. "The body sees them as foreign compounds and modifies them for rapid excretion in the urine and bile."

• Flavonoids appear to strongly influence cell signaling pathways and gene expression, with relevance to both cancer and heart disease.

• "We can now follow the activity of flavonoids in the body, and one thing that is clear is that the body sees them as foreign compounds and is trying to get rid of them," Dr. Frei said. "But this process of gearing up to get rid of unwanted compounds is inducing enzymes that also help eliminate mutagens and carcinogens, and therefore may be of value in cancer prevention.

• "Flavonoids could also induce mechanisms that help kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor invasion," Dr. Frei added.

Summary of New Hypotheses About Berry Flavonoids

1. flavonoids may not be antioxidants in the way vitamin C counters free radicals
2. the body may see flavonoids as foreign compounds, raising the immune response in a way similar to how a vaccine or poison antidote does
3. the body may actively try to eliminate flavonoids, explaining why large doses consumed are seen soon after in urine
4. flavonoids appear to strongly influence cell signaling pathways
5. flavonoids appear to strongly influence gene expression
6. flavonoids induce enzymes that help eliminate mutagens and carcinogens, and so may be of value in cancer prevention
7. flavonoids may induce the rate of cell turnover in tumors, possibly leading to rapid death of cancer cells or inhibiting their ability to proliferate and invade healthy cells
8. flavonoids are not a consistent class of chemicals across all berries, as their concentration varies from berry to berry

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Dr. Paul
The Berry Doctor