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What are Bioflavonoids?
This is a reprint of an article published by Stephen Langer and James F. Scheer.
Found in the soft white skin of citrus fruits, bioflavonoids help conserve vitamin C, lower high blood pressure and treat allergies. Until recently bioflavonoids were only bit players on the biochemical stage. Most of the research on these compounds, which accompany vitamin C in nature, involved rutin, hesperidin, and coumarin. At one point they were referred to as vitamin P.
Now, with the dramatic emergence of another member of the complex, quercetin (pronounced KWER-ce-tin), bioflavonoids are super stars.
Quercetin is "one of the strongest anti-cancer agents known.", according to Terence Leighton, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. He said that numerous laboratory studies reveal that quercetin is effective against cancer because it blocks cell changes that initiate cancer, and stops the spread of malignant cells that group together to become tumors.
Supporting these findings is the fact that people who eat a great deal of quercetin-rich onions and broccoli have a lower risk of some kinds of cancer, Dr. Leighton said. Grapes and Italian squash are other foods with high amounts of quercetin. In addition, red and yellow onions contain phenomenal amounts of quercetin -- 10 percent or more of their dry weight. However, this is not true for white onions or garlic.
Quercetin supplements have found their way into nutrition centers, so that it isn't necessary to eat a pound of onions daily to prevent cancer. Nor do you have to stuff yourself on broccoli, Italian squash and grapes.
Researchers who study quercetin indicate that this supplement, derived mainly from blue-green algae, works with quercetin from conventional foods.
Although it seems to have special powers to prevent the initiation and spread of cancer, quercetin also works in the human body, in most respects, like other members of the bioflavonoid family.
Bioflavonoids are biochemically active substances that accompany vitamin C in plants. There are thousands of different bioflavonoids, which are yellow, red and blue pigments.
The best plant sources of bioflavonoids are the pulp and white core that run through the center of citrus fruits; green peppers, especially the white pulpy parts; buckwheat, apricots, black currants, cherries, grapes, lemons, limes, oranges, prunes, and rose hips.
Why do we need bioflavonoids? Bioflavonoids perform many useful functions in the human body. For example, they act as an antioxidant to protect the body's vitamin C; prevent or hasten the healing of bruiese; reduce the danger of capillary fargility and resulting leakage of blood and other body fluids from blood vessels; and help to prevent spontaneous abortions. Bioflavonoids also act as an anti-allergy preparation; increase immune system activation, guard against capillary degeneration and declining sight or blindness in diabetics; reduce high blood pressure; and contribute to more control of schizophrenia.
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