Flavonoids, the melanin of plants.

Every single day we ingest a group of chemical pigments known as "flavonoids" via a myriad of different plants and fruits. Lucky for us, it seems that along with the variety of colours that these chemicals express, they also provide us with several significant health benefits that otherwise would put our lives at increased risk. For instance, studies have shown that a daily intake of 50-800mg of flavonoids can have a huge impact in reducing the threat of both heart disease and heart attacks.

How do flavonoids protect us from various dangers such as those listed above? Well, nigh-on all the mechanisms by which favonoids operate are a mystery to scientists. However, one well-documented and researched method of action is their role as antioxidants, particularly the flavonoid quercetin. Quercetin is the most structurally optimised of the flavonoids to combat free-radical oxygen molecules/atoms that occur around the body. Because of the ability to expunge these free radicals and cease their chain reaction, they prevent blood vessels and various tissues from becoming damaged, thus reducing the risk of a subsequent disease, especially in the heart.

Luckily for scientists, the location of flavonoids is not so much of an enigma; flavonoids are located in the vacuoles of cells that exhibit the colour they express. For instance anthocyanins, one of the major groups of flavonoids, gives rise to a range of colours from salmon pink to red, and violet to dark blue. Imagine having several splodges of paint on a pallete; flavonoids are the colours of the paint and nature (being the painter) colours in parts of a cell with these splodges of paint. In flowers, flavonoid pigments are located in the vacuoles of the petals, whereas in fruit, such as a blueberry, all the cells of the flesh expressing the dark blue colour are where the flavonoids are located. The deeper the colour of the fruit or the petal, the more concentrated the flavonoid content, and as such the more mature the plant/fruit is.

Flavonoids are useful for plants and fruits because the colours they express attract insects and other organisms that pollinate and disperse the seeds of the plant/fruit. Looking aesthetically pleasing is an evolutionary mechanism to promote survival.

Finally, I'd like to draw your attention to the amount of flavonoids you should consume a day. To ingest the necessary amount, the goal is consume (at least) 4 pieces of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables a day. However, recent studies have shown that it is largely more beneficial to double this amount, so instead have 10 a day, as opposed to 5 a day. Not only will this help with preventing heart disease, it will increase your quality of life by making you healthier in general and having the nutrients to sustain an active lifestlye.


This has been Timothy K.  Bosse, thank you for reading.

Citations:
https://www.livescience.com/52524-flavonoids.html

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