Want a delicious way to live a longer life? Eat more polyphenol-rich foods. Polyphenols are a family of plant-based compounds that have exhibited a broad range of health benefits including lowering inflammation and oxidation in the body, reducing cancer risk, protecting the cardiovascular system, and slowing the aging process.
In an interesting study, scientists determined that older adults that consumed the most polyphenols in their diets had a 30% lower risk of death vs. those consuming the least. The study included over 800 elderly adults followed over a 12-year period and was unique because the scientists measured polyphenol metabolites in the study subject’s urine, a much more accurate and objective measure, vs. relying on the study subject’s notoriously inaccurate food diaries.
Although the study findings are not surprising, they are notable because this was the first study to accurately measure total polyphenol intake and relate it to the overall risk of death. (Journal of Nutrition, 2013;143 (9)
Here are the specific foods that provide the most polyphenols per serving. They are in order:
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If you keep the right foods in your house, healthy eating is a breeze!
