Eating fruits and vegetables such as apple, pears, blueberries strawberries radishes and red peppers-high in a compound called flavonoids can help prevent weight gain, a first of its kind research study by Harvard university and university of East Anglia, published in British Medical Journal (BMJ), has found.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring bioactive compounds that represent a constituent of fruits and vegetables, beyond calorie and micronutrient content, that could potentially influence body weight. Flavonoids are also present in various other foods and drinks, like tea, chocolate and wine.
The findings of the study showed that high levels of flavonoids could help people maintain healthy weight. The research, which covered 1,24,086 women and men in US who were monitored for up to 24 years, is the first to look at links between intake of various flavonoids sub classes and weight gain. Past studies have suggested that flavonoids may play a role in weight but most have focused on a single compound found in green tea and have small sample sizes.
In the new study, research looked at seven flavonoid subclasses: flavanones, anyhocyanins, flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, flavonoid polymer, flavonols and flavones.
The research findings assume significance in the Indian context primarily for two reasons –one, because ofincreasing number of overweight and obese people, and second, because of changing eating habits of Indians.
Sedentary life style, lack of exercise, consumption of alcohol and junk food are rising in the country, making one in every five either obese or over weight. According to latest estimates India is just behind US and China with the third highest obese people in the world.
Intake of fruits and vegetables is much less among Indians compared to those from other countries. Though vegetarians eat more of it as compared to non vegetarians, it is limited to cooked vegetables where some of nutrients along with fibers go missing. The intake of salads is very less in Indians.
Source- The Times of India