An apple a day or an onion or collard greens

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 9, 2002

HELSINKI, FINLAND -- Recently released findings from Finland's National Public Health Institute indicate that a plant substance called quercetin helps prevent heart disease, cancer, strokes, asthma and type 2 diabetes.

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in apples, onions, tea, red wine, berries and the brassica vegetables--which include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabagas and turnips--as well as various seeds and nuts. For a long time it has been regarded as a powerful antioxidant.

Results from ongoing research of 10,054 Finnish men and women that began in 1966 add to that belief. The study found that people with the highest quercetin intake had the lowest mortality rate.

Apples showed the strongest association of preventing diabetes and asthma.