A diet high in flavonoid-rich foods, including berries, citrus fruits, tea, cocoa, onions—and yes, even wine—can reduce one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. In particular, a higher intake of tea, berries, and apples offered the most benefits. There are six main subtypes of flavonoids: flavanones, flavones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, anthocyanins, and isoflavones.
Each offers different benefits. The research team studied 10 foods containing flavonoids: black and green tea, red wine, apples, berries, grapes, oranges, grapefruits, sweet peppers, onions, and dark chocolate. The average daily intake of flavonoids was 805.
7 milligrams. Tea was the highest contributor of flavonoids, while peppers were the lowest. The overall intake, which equated to six servings of flavonoid-rich foods per day, was linked to a 28 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to one serving of flavonoid-rich food per day.
Furthermore, each additional serving of flavonoid-rich food reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by about 6 percent. Four servings of black or green tea per day were linked to a 21 percent lower risk. One serving of berries per day was linked to a 15 percent lower risk, and one serving of apples per day was linked to a 12 percent lower risk.
Different types of flavonoids were associated with varying incidents of Type 2 diabetes. A higher intake of anthocyanins, which are found in grapes, berries, and apples and give them their deep red, blue, and purple colors, w.
