Get a fix on flavonoids

Agricultural Research, July, 2007

If you've been wondering about the flavonoid content of foods in your diet, you now have an easy way to check it out. Why should you bother? Research has shown an association between consumption of foods rich in flavonoids and a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. Good sources include red grapes, white onions, and black-eyed peas--as well as green and black tea.

Now an updated database with details on 26 selected flavonoid compounds in 385 foods is available online at www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata.> To compile this nutrient data update, analyses were performed on nearly 60 representative fruits, nuts, and vegetables obtained through nationwide sampling. Data on the flavonoids in new foods were also collected from about 100 scientific papers. The expanded flavonoid database supplements the more extensive National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, known as "SR19," which is widely used by researchers and nutrition professionals. David B. Haytowitz, USDA-ARS Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland; phone (301) 504-0714, e-mail haytowid@ba.ars.usda.gov.