Could Eating More Berries, Tea, and Apples Help You Age Healthier? Flavonoid-Rich Foods Show Promising Links

Imagine staying more mobile, mentally sharp, and full of vitality as you age. It's a universal aspiration, and exciting new research suggests that a group of powerful plant compounds called flavonoids might play a key role in helping us achieve just that.

A recent study published in the prestigious The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found compelling links between consuming foods rich in flavonoids—think delicious black tea, vibrant berries, zesty citrus fruits, and crisp apples—and a lower risk of experiencing specific, unwelcome elements of unhealthy aging. These include frailty (that feeling of physical weakness), impaired physical function, and declines in mental health.

What Exactly Are Flavonoids? Nature's Tiny Protectors

So, what are these power-packed compounds? Flavonoids are a diverse group of phytonutrients (plant chemicals) that act as potent antioxidants. You'll find them abundantly in many of the colorful plant-based foods we know and love, such as:

• Apples
• Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
• Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits)
• Tea (especially black and green tea)
• Dark chocolate (with high cocoa content)
• Onions and kale
• Red wine (in moderation)

According to study author Nicola Bondonno, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Edith Cowan University in Australia, this new research builds upon a growing body of evidence. Previous studies have already shown a strong connection between higher flavonoid consumption and a reduced risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even dementia.

“Our latest research adds another important layer to this understanding," Dr. Bondonno shared with Health. "It shows that a high flavonoid intake is also linked to a lower risk of physical frailty, poor mental health, and reduced physical function as people age.”

What does this mean in real life? Dr. Bondonno explains, “It means potentially staying mobile, independent, and mentally sharp for longer. This makes the experience of aging much more positive and less burdensome for both individuals and their families.” That's a truly inspiring prospect!

A Closer Look at the Study: Flavonoids and Aging

Dr. Bondonno’s team tapped into a wealth of data from two long-running, large-scale health studies: the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), which have been tracking participants since the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Participants in these studies regularly fill out detailed diet questionnaires (every four years) and provide updates on their health, including whether they’ve developed any new diseases.

For this new analysis, the researchers focused on individuals aged 60 or older who were part of the NHS (tracked from 1990 to 2014) and the HPFS (tracked from 2006 to 2018). This provided them with robust data on over 62,000 women and 23,000 men.

To understand the impact of flavonoids on aging within this large group, the researchers noted how often people consumed specific flavonoid-rich foods like tea, apples, oranges, grapefruits, blueberries, strawberries, and red wine.

They then cleverly created a “flavodiet score” based on the number of servings of these foods people consumed daily. “This approach helps translate complex research into real-world, actionable advice," Dr. Bondonno explained. "It shows how focusing on whole diets, not just isolated nutrients, can support healthy aging.”

Once these flavodiet scores were calculated, researchers could compare them with self-reported health information from the participants, including their experiences with increased frailty, physical impairment, and poor mental health over the years.

The findings were compelling: the higher people’s flavodiet scores, the lower their risks of experiencing these undesirable age-related outcomes.

• For women: Those with the highest flavonoid intakes had a 15% lower risk of frailty, a 12% lower risk of impaired physical function, and a 12% lower risk of poor mental health compared to those with the lowest intakes.
• For men: While the researchers found fewer strong associations in men (which Dr. Bondonno suggested might be due to differences in how long each group was followed rather than a true biological difference), those with the highest flavodiet scores still showed a lower risk of poor mental health.

Despite these encouraging results, it's important to note, as with much nutritional research, that this study is observational.

“This is an observational study based on food questionnaires every four years,” Darshan Shah, MD, a board-certified surgeon and longevity expert, reminded Health. “Observational studies can show an association or a link, but they don't prove cause and effect.”

Dr. Shah pointed out that other healthy lifestyle factors, such as higher levels of physical activity, could also be contributing to the better age-related health outcomes seen among high-flavonoid consumers. He also noted the inherent limitations of self-reported dietary information: “Food frequency questionnaires ask people to generally remember how much they ate by memory, and as we know, our memory does not always serve us correctly.”

How Might Flavonoids Work Their Magic for Healthy Aging?

If flavonoids do indeed play a significant role in promoting healthy aging, what's the secret to their beneficial effects?

Like other well-known antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E), flavonoids are champions at fighting inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, both of which are major contributors to age-related decline and chronic diseases. But, according to Kathryn Piper, RDN, LD, NBC-HWC, of The Age-Defying Dietitian, flavonoids might have another unique ace up their sleeve.

“Research suggests flavonoids support a fascinating cellular process called autophagy,” she told Health. “Think of autophagy as your body’s internal housekeeping or spring-cleaning system. It gets rid of old, damaged, or harmful cells to make way for new, healthy ones.”

Because of this crucial work of cellular renewal and cleanup, foods rich in flavonoids may contribute significantly to a healthier body and a sharper mind as we navigate the aging process, she explained.

Dr. Bondonno added that flavonoids also play important roles in supporting healthy blood vessels and may even be involved in maintaining muscle mass as we age. “These combined effects can influence many systems in the body at once,” she said. “As research continues, we’re learning that flavonoids may have even more benefits than we currently understand.”

So, Should You Be Adding More Flavonoid-Rich Foods to Your Diet?

While Dr. Shah rightly advises that more research, particularly intervention trials, is needed before we can definitively label high-flavonoid foods as a "fountain of youth," many other nutrition experts believe that intentionally including more of these foods in your diet is a smart, delicious, and proactive strategy for healthy aging.

“Everyone should consider including more flavonoid-rich foods in their diet to thrive in older adulthood,” Maggie Moon, MS, RD, author of The MIND Diet: 2nd Edition, strongly recommended to Health.

Ready to give your diet a flavonoid boost? Ms. Moon and Ms. Piper offer these simple, tasty suggestions for incorporating more of these power-packed foods into your day:

• Start your day with a comforting cup of green or black tea.
• Blend up a vibrant smoothie that includes a mix of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
• Enjoy a small glass of 100% orange, Concord grape, or wild blueberry juice with a balanced breakfast (mindful of sugar content if choosing juice).
• Snack on crisp apples with a dollop of natural peanut or almond butter.
• Treat yourself occasionally to a square or two of high-quality dark chocolate (look for 70% cocoa content or higher).
• Flavor your meals generously with flavonoid-packed fresh herbs like parsley, oregano, and thyme.

The best part? It’s never too late—or too early—to start embracing these healthy habits. As Ms. Piper advises, “Start early and be consistent, ideally in midlife or sooner, to allow the protective effects to build up over time.”

By making these simple, enjoyable additions to your daily meals, you’re not just eating delicious food; you’re actively investing in a healthier, more vibrant future.