Updated 24th September 2025
Plant flavonoid diversity: Study finds health benefits
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Consuming liberal amounts of fruit, vegetables, and other plants is linked to better health. This won’t come as a shock to most people. But what is it about plants that keeps us well?
Early nutrition research discovered that these foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, which helps explain some of their benefits. As science continued to develop, it became clear that there’s much more to this relationship.
A later discovery, for instance, was that the fiber in plants nourishes our gut microbiome, which is known to help protect against many health issues.
More recently, the importance of other plant compounds, such as polyphenols, has come into focus.
These compounds are particularly abundant in colourful plants, like berries, apples, oranges, and grapes — this is one of the reasons why eating the rainbow supports good health.
If you’d like to learn more about polyphenols in general, we have a full guide here. However, in brief, consuming polyphenols is associated with improved blood sugar control, a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a reduced risk of heart disease, and other benefits.
A recent study, published in Nature Food, investigates a group of polyphenols called flavonoids and how they influence health.
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What are flavonoids?
As mentioned, flavonoids are a type of polyphenol. They can be found in a wide range of plants, including teas, berries, nuts, pulses, and wines.
Within the flavonoid category, there are subcategories, including:
flavonols
anthocyanins
flavan-3-ols
flavanones
flavones
Over the years, researchers have found that flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. According to the authors, there are ”many mechanisms through which flavonoids exert their beneficial effects across diverse chronic conditions.”
Scientists have already identified links between an increased intake of flavonoids and a reduced risk of all-cause mortality (death for any reason), cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease, and neurodegenerative diseases, like dementia.
Because different flavonoids likely work in different ways, the authors of the new study hypothesized that consuming a variety of flavonoids would have an even greater health benefit than the total amount alone.
So, rather than just looking at the overall quantity of flavonoids in the diet, they focused on the range of flavonoids participants consumed.
Flavonoid diversity and health
To investigate, the scientists used data from 124,805 generally healthy participants aged 40–69.
The scientists had access to their health records and dietary intake, which allowed them to calculate how much and what types of flavonoids they consumed.
The researchers controlled their analysis for factors that might influence their results, including body mass index (BMI) and levels of physical activity.
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Overall, they found that a greater diversity of flavonoid intake, whether from a wide variety of flavonoid-rich foods or specific flavonoid subclasses, was linked to a lower risk of all-cause mortality.
These participants also had a lower incidence of chronic diseases, including cardiometabolic disorders like diabetes and heart disease, along with cancer, respiratory disease, and neurodegenerative disease.
This suggests that both the quantity and, more importantly, the variety of flavonoids you consume have a powerful impact on your health.
What foods contain flavonoids?
As we mentioned, flavonoids occur in a wide range of plants, so focusing on eating a diverse diet of whole foods will ensure you get a good range.
However, here are some particularly good sources of flavonoids and the types of flavonoid they contain:
Fruits
Berries (e.g., blueberries, black chokeberry, sweet cherry, and blackcurrant): High overall flavonoid content, especially anthocyanins and flavonols.
Apples: High in quercetin and other flavonols.
Citrus fruits: Rich in flavanones (especially in the peel), such as hesperidin and naringenin.
Cocoa and dark chocolate: Rich in flavanols (choose chocolate with at least 70% cocoa and not too many other ingredients).
Drinks
Green and black tea: Great sources of catechins and other flavanols.
Red wine: Various flavonoids, including anthocyanins and flavonols. (Drink alcohol in moderation).
Vegetables
These veggies are rich in flavonols and flavones:
onions
kale
spinach
red onion
shallot
broccoli
celery
parsley
Soybeans and soy products are rich in isoflavones. And beans, black olives, seeds, nuts, and spices also contain flavonoids, but they tend to contribute less to overall intake as they are consumed in smaller amounts.
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Summary
This fascinating new study shows that eating a diverse range of flavonoids may help protect against a wide range of chronic diseases.
At ZOE, we know that consuming a wide variety of plants is the key to good health.
This study confirms this and helps us understand some of the ways in which a plant-based, diverse diet can support good health.
Although some plants have higher flavonoid levels than others, it’s important not to get hung up on worrying about the specifics.
In general, as long as you’re aiming for plant diversity and eating the rainbow, you’ll achieve flavonoid diversity without having to worry about it.
