Black Tea May Cut Risk Of Stroke Researchers say substances containing flavonoids provide protection Regular, long-term consumption of black tea, fruits and other substances containing flavonoids may protect against stroke, according to an article in the March 25 issue of the AMA's Archives of Internal Medicine . Sirving O. Keli, M.D., Ph.D., formerly of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, the Netherlands, and colleagues studied 552 men, aged 50 to 69 years, between 1970 and 1985 to test a theory that the dietary antioxidant vitamins and flavonoids in fruits and vegetables shield against stroke. Black tea was the major source of flavonoids consumed by the men, contributing 70 percent, while apples contributed about 10 percent of flavonoid intake. The researchers found an inverse association between tea consumption and stroke risk, but the link between solid fruit and stroke risk was statistically insignificant.
Flavonoids are nonnutritive compounds with antioxidant properties, occurring in plant foods.
While other researchers have found an association between fresh fruit and vegetables to lower stroke rates, those studies suggest the intake of potassium might be behind the results. The latest study is the first to show a protective effect of flavonoid intake on stroke incidence. A possible beneficial effect of dietary B-carotene and the consumption of solid fruit on stroke risk merits further investigation.