Bioflavonoids: What are Bioflavonoids, and How Are They Beneficial?
Bioflavonoids, you may have seen this word come up in various immune supplements and wonder, what the heck is it?
Bioflavonoids actually occur naturally in various fruits and vegetables, and the colour of these wonderful wholefoods are actually the result of these interesting compounds.
There's estimated to be over 8,000 different types of bioflavonoids, and are often divided into various subgroups such as flavonols or flavanones, for example, which often determine their effects on the body.
Let's look at some examples of how bioflavonoids are beneficial.
Bioflavonoids Enhances Vitamin C Absorption
There's a reason why you find bioflavonoids in a range of vitamin C or immune supporting supplements, because it can increase the effectiveness and absorption of Vitamin C.
Studies have actually looked at bioflavonoids sourced from citrus fruits in-particular to have an approximate 35% increase in vitamin C bioavailability compared to a standalone synthetic vitamin C powder (Carr & Vissers, 2013).
This is why it's always important to find a quality Vitamin C supplement, such as Carusos Vitamins C 1000 + Bioflavonoids or Nutri Vital Vitamin C + Hesperidin, which is another unique bioflavonoid that also aids in wound healing, UV protection and may also reduce cancer risk (Man et al., 2019).
Bioflavonoids as Antioxidants
Bioflavonoids are known as free radical scavengers, which gives them significant antioxidant properties (Heim et al., 2002).
Oxidation is something we experience as we age, and can be caused by various dietary, environmental or lifestyle factors that cause excessive inflammation through-out the body.
When we experience chronic inflammation as a result of long-term oxidation, we drastically increase our risk of chronic disease, including cardiovascular, metabolic or inflammatory related conditions, such as arthritis.
This is where bioflavonoids can be incredible beneficial in reducing this oxidation process through their free radical scavenging nature, they essentially help us live longer.
This is also why supplementing with a great greens powder can give you a large dose of these antioxidant rich molecules, and why I recommend most people source a comprehensive wholefood formulation, such as Nutra Organics Super Greens + Reds.
Another great and fairly unique and potent anti-oxidant compound is Reishi, in fact, it also has the potential to help us live longer as well.
Read more about the amazing benefits of the mushroom kingdom here.
Bioflavonoids for Allergies (And the Immune system)
Many factors come into play when it comes to allergies, with certain dietary or environmental factors being big contributors to allergic symptoms.
Alongside the potential of bioflavonoids to boost our immune system, it may also serve as beneficial to major allergenic diseases such as eczema, food allergies, and even asthma.
One particular bioflavonoid that has been most studied in this department is Quercetin, which occurs naturally in various berries, grapes and even certain red wines.
Quercetin is said to exhibit an anti-allergic potential similar to the blocking of the anaphylaxis response to peanuts, which has been demonstrated in mouse models (Mlcek et al., 2016).
The use of Quercetin extract is now a large component of various nutritional supplements, and has also been used to assist with obesity, circulatory dysfunction, inflammation and mood (D'Andrea, 2015).
Now, of course, this isn't an excuse to knock back a bottle of red or two, and in fact, quercetin is easily accessible in supplements such as Herbs of Gold Quercetin Complex.
Another great way to improve our immune system is through the use of probiotics, which nourishes the gut bacteria that influences immune function.
Read more about the amazing benefits of probiotics in this article.
The Takeaway
Bioflavonoids are natural compounds found in fruit and vegetables that give them their colourful pigment, and provide some profound and potentially life extending benefits.
From increasing our Vitamin C status, wound healing, to decreasing inflammation through-out the body.
Bioflavonoids such as Quercetin is also a potent and natural anti-histamine alternative to conventional medicine, and may even assist with allergies associated with asthma.
If you know some other great uses of bioflavonoids, why not leave it in the comments?
If you're after more supplement suggestions for assisting with immune function or potentially allergies, give us a call or talk to one of the friendly staff in-store.
About The Author: Stephen Brumwell
As a Nutritionist, Biohacking enthusiast, self-experimenter, research fanatic, and self-taught writer, Stephen immerses himself deep into the literature of human optimisation and holistic wellbeing. His goal is to help people better understand the science of human health, and how they can use it to perform better and live a life that is absolutely limitless.
References
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- Carr, A., & Vissers, M. (2013). Synthetic or food-derived vitamin C—Are they equally bioavailable? Nutrients, 5(11), 4284-4304. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5114284
- D'Andrea, G. (2015). Quercetin: A flavonol with multifaceted therapeutic applications? Fitoterapia, 106, 256-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2015.09.018
- Heim, K. E., Tagliaferro, A. R., & Bobilya, D. J. (2002). Flavonoid antioxidants: Chemistry, metabolism and structure-activity relationships. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 13(10),572-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0955-2863(02)00208-5
- Man, M., Yang, B., & Elias, P. M. (2019). Benefits of Hesperidin for cutaneous functions. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2676307
- Mlcek, J., Jurikova, T., Skrovankova, S., & Sochor, J. (2016). Quercetin and its anti-allergic immune response. Molecules, 21(5), 623. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21050623
