Flavonoid Research Shows Promise for Big Things to Come

 University of Kentucky researchers may hold the answers for new plant-based pharmaceuticals and environmentally safe paint. Jan Smalle, a scientist in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, received a four-year $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the mechanics of nanoharvesting plant flavonoids. Flavonoids are a complex collection of plant-made chemicals that have all kinds of functions within plants and also have many potential human health implications.

Flavonoids reduce cold and cough risk

Auckland: Research from the University of Auckland shows eating flavonoids – found in green tea, apples, blueberries, cocoa, red wine and onions – can significantly reduce the risk of catching colds and coughs. The research shows adults are 33 percent more protected from the common cold (upper respiratory tract infections - URTI), if they eat flavonoids or take flavonoid supplements, compared with those who do not. Nutrition researcher Dr Andrea Braakhuis  says people who eat flavonoids also have fewer sick days.