The Story Of Flavonoids

Flavonoids: water-soluble "cousins" of lipid-soluble Carotenoids

If carotenoids are Nature’s ”crayons,” creating many of the red, orange, yellow and deep green colours in fruits and vegetables, then flavonoids can be thought of as a vivid layer in the jumbo assortment! Flavonoids are plant pigments that provide the more vibrant, brilliant colours in nature, including most of the blue, purple and emerald green tones found in flowers, leaves, fruits and vegetables. In addition, most of the yellow, orange and red colours that are NOT carotenoids belong to the flavonoid family. Another distinction: carotenoids are LIPID-soluble, while flavonoids are predominantly WATER-soluble.

Flavonoids represent a large family of phytonutrients (plant nutrients). More than 4,000 unique flavonoids have been identified so far - and the number is growing! Because of their chemical structure, flavonoids are part of a broader family of compounds known as polyphenols.

In our diet, flavonoids are found primarily in fruits and vegetables; significant amounts of flavonoids are also found in teas and wines. Citrus fruits and berries are particularly high in flavonoids. In plants, flavonoids appear to act as a natural sunscreen, protecting against ultraviolet damage. In people, flavonoids appear to interfere with the complex and multiple processes that lead to conditions that tend to manifest as the years go by.

One of the primary functions of dietary flavonoids is to act as antioxidant protectors of the watery areas in and around cells and in body fluids such as blood.

Fruits and vegetables rich in Flavonoids

The ideal dietary goal is to consume 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. To help you include flavonoid-rich choices, refer to this list. The richest sources appear in italics

.
Rich in Flavanones (e.g. hesperidin, naringenen)
Citrus (grapefruit, oranges, lemons)

Rich in Anthocyanins
Berries! (blueberries, cranberries, currants, raspberries, hawthorn berries, blackberries, elderberries)
Red wine
Grapes and grape juice
Beets
Red Onions
Cherries

Rich in Catechins
Green Tea (by far the richest source)
Apples
Pears
Cherries
Some Wines

Rich in Flavonols
Onions
Kale
Parsley
 French Beans
Endive
Apples

Rich in Ellagic Acid
Walnuts
Red Raspberries
Cranberries
Blackberries
Strawberries

Flavonoids and your well-being

In the past decade, world-wide population studies have firmly established that diets high in fruits and vegetables are linked with a lower risk of developing a wide range of debilitating conditions many of which are age related. Enormous efforts have been launched to identify the compounds in fruits and vegetables that may help provide protection. Because they are potent antioxidants and because they represent the majority of the plant polyphenols, flavonoids were quickly singled out as promising candidates. To date, literally hundreds of published articles report the broad protective benefits of flavonoids. Flavonoids have clearly emerged as “hero” phytonutrients and current research focuses on their role in helping to prevent these conditions.

Whole foods containing flavonoids have a healthy reputation that dates back several centuries or more. In fact, many beneficial effects of traditional herbal remedies can be attributed to the flavonoid constituents of the plants.

The "Flavonoid gap"

Research continues to show that greater fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to a lower risk of developing threats to general well-being. At the same time, it is evident that in many parts of the world, intake of fruits and vegetables is far from recommended levels. Since fruits and vegetables supply most of the flavonoids in our diet, it is clear that our intake of flavonoids is far from optimal.

The GNLD difference in a Flavonoid supplement

Fruits and vegetables in our diet are protective and they are lacking in our diet. A part of the human food chain, they have a long history of safe use. For these reasons, GNLD set out to identify those fruits and vegetables that would deliver significant amounts of the different members of the flavonoid family. The result is Flavonoid Complex.

Flavonoids as nature intended - from whole foods

Like carotenoids, flavonoids do not appear in isolation in nature. Specific flavonoids appear in different foods; natural foods invariably contain many flavonoids in groups. It is the DIVERSITY of foods that we eat, and the DENSITY of nutrients in those foods, that contribute to protective benefits. GNLD’s Flavonoid Complex provides flavonoid diversity and density from a variety of Nature’s richest whole-food sources.

Broad-spectrum formula

Using published analytical data, GNLD developed a profile of flavonoids and related compounds present in an optimal serving of flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables including:

Beets Grapefruit
Blueberries Kale
Cranberries Lemons
Elderberries Oranges
Green tea Raspberries
Grapes (red and black)

Flavonoid Complex was then formulated so each tablet would match the profile of an optimal serving of these foods. Raw materials were carefully selected to contribute representatives of all the members of the flavonoid family, including:

  • Anthocyanins
    These deep purple compounds are found in black grapes, beets, red onions and berries.
  • Catechins
    Catechins such as +catechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate are the main polyphenols in green tea. Fruits such as apples also contain catechins.
  • Ellagic Acid
    Closely related to the flavonoid family, ellagic acid is abundant in berries (particularly cranberries and raspberries) and nuts.
  • Flavones
    Flavones include apigenin and luteolin. They are found in citrus fruits, red grapes and green beans.
  • Flavanols
    Flavanols such as quercetin, kaempherol and myricetin are found in many fruits and vegetables such as kale, spinach, onions and apples, as well as in black tea.
  • Flavanones
    Flavanones include hesperidin, neo-hesperidin, and naringen. Flavanones are usually found in citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges and lemons.

Flavonoids and vitamin C: the perfect combination

Historically, flavonoids have been associated with vitamin C. As early as 1939, flavonoids in citrus fruits, then referred to as “vitamin P,” were known to enhance vitamin C activity. Today even more is known about the interactions of vitamin C and the large family of flavonoids represented in Flavonoid Complex:

  • Flavonoids possess vitamin C - stabilizing and antioxidant-dependent vitamin C - sparing activities.
  • Both flavonoids and vitamin C have complementary roles in safe guarding the stomach and the intestine from food-borne substances which can pose severe challenges to the well-being of the body.
  • Flavonoids and vitamin C occur together in plants. Vitamin C can protect flavonoids from oxidation.
  • Flavonoids enhance vitamin C absorption. Vitamin C may enhance flavonoid absorption.3

GNLD introduced its Vitamin C product, an exclusive whole-food concentrate based on the understanding that vitamin C occurred in fruits, not in isolation, but together with a family of functionally related compounds: citrus bioflavonoids. Accordingly, GNLD’s unique vitamin C supplements were formulated to include these whole-citrus compounds to assure maximum nutritional benefits.

Technical Information

Each tablet contains

% SARDA
Vitamin C 50 mg 83

GNLD’s Flavonoid Complex is formulated with 50 milligrams of vitamin C in each tablet to contribute the nutritional benefits of vitamin C, maximize the absorption potential of the formula, and to protect the flavonoids from oxidation.

Dosage

Take 2 tablets daily.



Flavonoid Complex provides beneficial Flavonoids from green tea

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the world’s most popular beverage. Safely consumed for thousands of years, the tea plant originated in parts of Tibet, China and India. By the 9th century Chinese Buddhist monks had introduced it to Japan and by the 16th century Dutch traders had introduced it to Europe. While tea is usually offered in friendship, it has also spawned war: A British tax on tea consumed by American colonists instigated the Boston Tea Party of 1773, an incident contributing to the Revolutionary War.

Recently, green tea has been the subject of hundreds of clinical studies, the majority of which support folkloric claims.4 Green tea, which is less oxidized than black tea, is rich in many beneficial substances the essential amino acid threonine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, fluoride and vitamin K. The compounds thought chiefly responsible for tea’s benefits, however, are flavonoids, potent antioxidants that combat challenges to our well-being.

Now GNLD makes it easier to reap the benefits of green tea! Our unique Flavonoid Complex features flavonoids from fruits, vegetables and decaffeinated green tea extract! Each tablet provides flavonoids from green tea, as well as additional diverse flavonoids and ellagic acid from cranberries, kale, beets, elderberries, raspberries, blueberries, red and black grapes, oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Naturally occurring vitamin C is added for enhanced absorption.

Product Features

  • Whole-food flavonoids from cranberries, kale, green tea, beets, elderberries, raspberries, blueberries, red and black grapes, oranges, lemons, grapefruit.
  • Broad-spectrum flavonoids - flavones, flavanols, flavanones, anthocyanins, catechins.
  • Vitamin C to enhance absorption.
  • Ellagic acid, an antioxidant in grapes, cranberries and other berries and a close relative to the flavonoid ”family.”
  • Green tea extract provides catechins but virtually no caffeine.
  • Convenient serving. Each tablet provides the phytonutrient value of an optimal serving of flavonoid- rich fruits and vegetables.

References

(1) Block, G. Dietary Guidelines and the Results of Food Consumption Surveys. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53:356S357S (1991).
(2) Helser, M.A., Hotchkiss, J.H., and Roe, D.A. Influence of Fruit and Vegetable Juices on the Endogenous Formation of N-nitrosopropoline and N-nitrosothiazolidine-4-carboxylic Acid in Humans on Controlled Diets. Carcinogenesis 13:22772280 (1992).
(3) Kandaswami, C., Perkins, E. Ascorbic Acid Enhanced Antiproliferative Effect of Flavonoids on Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Vitro. Anticancer Drugs 4:9196 (1993).
(4) Green Tea Catechin Extract Symposium (video). Sponsored by Chemco Industries Inc.