What you need to know about products with polyphenols
'16.04.2021'
Source: Heroine.ru
Let's talk about polyphenols - substances that protect against UV rays. They stimulate the immune system and reduce the risk of inflammation.
Polyphenols are plant-based nutrients that have biologically active properties. Most often they have a bitter aftertaste and bright color, writes Heroine.ru.
In plants, these biologically active compounds perform key functions - they provide an antioxidant effect, protect against ultraviolet radiation, and prevent and neutralize attacks by pests.
For people, exposure is a bit more complicated: polyphenols allow you to run biochemical processes that lead to disease prevention, toxin elimination, acceleration of metabolism, and other useful mechanisms.
Depending on their chemical structure, polyphenols can be divided into 4 groups:
- Flavonoids - found in fruits, green tea, legumes, red wine and vegetables. They are involved in the removal of free radicals and the fight against inflammation.
- Stilben - found in grapes, peanuts and red wine. Have a neuroprotective effect.
- Lignans - found in algae, cereals, flax seeds, legumes. Stimulate metabolic processes.
- Phenols - found in blueberries, apples, cinnamon, coffee, kiwi and tea.
What are the benefits of polyphenols?
Promote digestion
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, polyphenols can effectively treat ulcers, diarrhea and other intestinal inflammatory diseases. The best results in this show green tea extracts that have antibacterial activity.
Accelerate Metabolism
Catechins, resveratrol, anthocyanins, curcumin and other polyphenols affect the processes involved in metabolism, energy production, and arrest the tendency to obesity. More specifically, they inhibit fat absorption, stimulate lipolytic processes and prevent oxidation of lipids that cause inflammation.
On the subject: 'I advise him and others': A nutritionist called 6 reasons to fall in love with dark chocolate
Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Polyphenols can have an immunomodulatory and vasodilating effect, which in turn helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Collectively, polyphenols suppress pro-inflammatory activity at the molecular level, increase the availability of nitric oxide, and maintain blood pressure. The main class that is involved in this is flavonoids, which are common in berries, beverages, chocolate, citrus fruits and generally in red vegetables.
Reduce inflammation
Since chronic inflammation in the body can cause neurodegenerative disorders, type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other diseases, regular consumption of polyphenols can reduce the risk of developing these syndromes. Polyphenols scavenge free radicals, control cellular activity in pro-inflammatory cells, and increase the activity of enzymes responsible for inflammation. Research shows that drinking three cups of tea a day already lowers the risk of heart disease by 11%. If polyphenols are taken daily, the risk of dementia, aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's can be reduced. But eating fruit for lunch is more likely to prevent age-related bone loss.
Help prevent cancer
Most polyphenols - curcumin, anthocyanins and other compounds - are known for their anti-cancer activity. They help build signaling responses related to cell condition. In addition, they are able to intervene in the formation of cancer cells, causing their death and reducing the tumor burden on the body. At the same time, some of them can negatively affect hormones, so you need to take them with caution.
Which products have the most polyphenols?
Fruits and vegetables
The great news is that we eat vegetables or fruits at least once a day. They are natural sources of various polyphenols such as hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, anthocyanins and many others.
The content of polyphenols in products (mg / 100g):
- Potatoes - 20-38
- Peking cabbage - 30-60
- Eggplant - 120-132
- White onions - 35-120
- Tomato - 1,5-20
- Broccoli - 4-10
- Celery - 2-14
- Apricot - 2,5-5
- Lemon juice - 5-30 (100 ml)
- Grapes - 1,75-3
- Apple - 2-12
- Blackberries - 8-27
- Blueberries - 200-220
- Plum - 28-230
Spices and Herbs
The regular seasonings you use to enhance the flavor of your food can also be an excellent source of polyphenols. Moreover, cooking them on a fire or in the microwave only increases the antioxidant potential due to the additional release of polyphenols from heat. Dry heating, frying and grilling, on the other hand, reduces their antioxidant capacity.
Most polyphenols are in coriander, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and turmeric.
Nuts and Beans
Polyphenols, which are found in nuts and legumes, also have neuroprotective, antitumor, and antidiabetic properties. Lentil can be considered the most useful, as well as tree nuts: pistachios, walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts.
By the way, olive oil also contains polyphenols with high cardioprotective properties. They can act as a means to fight burns caused by ultraviolet rays. If you do not want to buy funds after tanning in a pharmacy, you can use creams based on polyphenols or even with the addition of olive oil.
On the subject: Do not get sick, lose weight and sleep better: useful properties of juices that you did not know about
Beverages
In tea, coffee and cocoa is almost the largest amount of polyphenols in the diet, as they are formed in the process of fermentation and roasting.
Chlorogenic acids and other active ingredients in coffee can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Tea is rich in catechins with similar properties. There can also be attributed to red wine - a product with the highest content of flavonoids, which can increase life expectancy.
Are there any contraindications?
Of course, you shouldn't completely change your diet to eat only polyphenol. Excessive consumption can negatively affect the health of your body.
Isoflavones can affect thyroid hormone biosynthesis and estrogen activity. If you have hormone imbalance problems, you need to be careful with your diet.
It is also worth remembering that excessive use of polyphenols can aggravate anemia in those who do not eat meat and meat products.
Caution should be exercised when consuming polyphenols if you are using blood thinners and NSAIDs such as heparin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and aspirin.
How much polyphenols do you need to consume?
Because of their diversity and complex biochemical processes, it is not possible to identify a clear dosage, but scientists have identified a simple scheme for achieving a positive effect. It is enough to adhere to the “5 per day” policy in order to get maximum benefit and not harm your health.
This means that you should eat 5 servings of fruits, vegetables, or nuts a day to get your dose of polyphenol.
