Top five-a-day foods new study says your heart needs
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Dr Javier Ottaviani states that specific food choices matter more than total fruit and vegetable intake for flavanol absorption
- Gunter Kuhnle says dietary guidance may need to become more specific as understanding of flavanols grows
- 30,000 people in US and UK were studied using urinary biomarkers to assess flavanol consumption
- Fewer than one in five people consume the estimated beneficial level of 500mg of flavanols daily
- Plums, blackberries, cherries, broad beans, and green tea are highlighted as top sources of heart-healthy flavanols
Why it matters: Most people eating a standard five-a-day may still lack key heart-protective nutrients, meaning public health guidance could need refinement to specify which produce delivers the greatest benefit, not just how much.
