About this ingredient
Ingredients
Flavonoids are a large family of naturally occurring plant polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa, and many other botanical foods. Major flavonoid classes include flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, and isoflavones. Common examples include quercetin, kaempferol, catechins, anthocyanins, and genistein. The exact flavonoid profile depends on the botanical source and supplement formulation.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds produced by plants. They contribute to the color, flavor, and biological characteristics of many fruits, vegetables, herbs, tea, cocoa, and other plant foods.
There are several major classes of flavonoids, including flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, and isoflavones. Examples include quercetin and kaempferol among flavonols, catechins among flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins in many berries, and isoflavones such as genistein in soy foods.
Flavonoids are commonly included in nutritional supplements through botanical extracts such as citrus bioflavonoids, grape seed extract, green tea extract, berry extracts, quercetin, and other plant-based preparations. The amount and type of flavonoids can vary substantially between products.
Although flavonoids have antioxidant and other biological activities, research on purified flavonoid supplements does not necessarily produce the same effects as consuming flavonoids as part of whole foods. Consumers should therefore view flavonoid supplements as a complement to a balanced diet rather than a replacement for fruit and vegetable intake.