Category Archives: Flavan-3-ols

Phytochemicals: Multicoloured Food

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Fruits and vegetables are thought to provide health benefits because of the plant chemicals they contain. Some plant chemicals are bioactive in humans and are of interest because they have been shown to reduce the risk of a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthocyanins, Antioxidant, Beta Carotene, Carotenoids, Flavan-3-ols, Flavanones, Flavonoids, Flavonols, Fruit, Terpenes, Vegetables | Tagged , | Comments Off on Phytochemicals: Multicoloured Food

Procyanidin Absorption

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Flavan-3-ols are a group of flavonoids present in commonly eaten foods such as tea, apples and wine. The main flavan-3-ols are (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, which can form various compounds by bonding to gallic acid (figure 1). Epidemiological evidence suggests that … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Epicatechin, Flavan-3-ols, Phenolic Acids, Procyanidins, Tea | Comments Off on Procyanidin Absorption

Does Tea Prevent Parkinson’s Disease?

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, but its aetiology is not fully understood. Parkinson’s disease is characterised by degeneration of the dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Treatments for involve administration of synthetic L-dopa, … Continue reading →

Posted in Antioxidant, Brain, Caffeine, Catechin, Coffee, Flavan-3-ols, Free Radicals, Oxidative Stress, Tea | Comments Off on Does Tea Prevent Parkinson’s Disease?

More on Flavonoids and Cardiovascular Disease

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Flavonoids are polyphenolic heterocyclic plant compounds that may have beneficial health properties in humans. Although it is not fully understood why consuming plant foods are beneficial to the health, one reason may be the flavonoids that they contain. Flavonoids are … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthocyanins, Cardiovascular Disease, Catechin, Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids, Flavonols, Proanthocyanidins, Stroke | Comments Off on More on Flavonoids and Cardiovascular Disease

Green Tea Improves Vascular Function

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Robert Barrington

A number of antioxidants in food have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. At present it is unclear as to why dietary antioxidants are protective, but evidence suggests that it may result from a decrease in oxidative … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids, Green Tea, LDL, Nitric Oxide | Comments Off on Green Tea Improves Vascular Function

Effects of Green Tea Sports Drink

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Robert Barrington

The effects of post-exercise sports drinks on physical performance have been extensively studied. Generally, high carbohydrate and high protein drinks following exercise accelerate recovery of liver and muscle glycogen stores and stimulate protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Addition of other … Continue reading →

Posted in Beta Oxidation, Carbohydrate, Flavan-3-ols, Green Tea | Comments Off on Effects of Green Tea Sports Drink

Green Tea Has Antiviral Properties

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Green tea differs from black tea in that during processing the leaves of the former are steamed, while the leave of the latter are fermented. The result is that green tea maintains many of the original photochemicals present in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Flavan-3-ols, Green Tea, Influenza | Comments Off on Green Tea Has Antiviral Properties

Green Tea Catechin Absorption

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Epidemiological evidence suggests that green tea may have beneficial health properties, particularly with regard to cancer and cardiovascular disease. This beneficial effect may be due to the high levels of antioxidant polyphenols present within the leaves of the Camellia sinensis … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Epicatechin, Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids | Comments Off on Green Tea Catechin Absorption

Red Wine Catechin Absorption

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Red wine is a complex mixture of a number of polyphenolic substance, that may explain some of its beneficial health effects. Of the polyphenolics present in red wine, flavonoids represent one group that have shown beneficial effects against cardiovascular disease … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Epicatechin, Flavan-3-ols, Red Wine | Comments Off on Red Wine Catechin Absorption

Nut Antioxidants

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Robert Barrington

The health benefits of nuts are well reported in the scientific literature. In particular nuts have been shown to have beneficial effects on blood lipids and are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Nuts may be beneficial because … Continue reading →

Posted in Almonds, Antioxidant, Catechin, Cholesterol, Flavan-3-ols, Flavanones, Flavonoids, Flavonols | Comments Off on Nut Antioxidants