FLAVONOIDS: WATER-SOLUBLE "COUSINS" OF LIPID-SOLUBLE CAROTENOIDS

Flavonoids are water-soluble antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine. 

If carotenoids are Nature’s ”crayons,” creating many of the red, orange, yellow and deep green colours in fruits and vegetables, then flavonoids can be thought of as a vivid layer in the jumbo assortment! Flavonoids are plant pigments that provide the more vibrant, brilliant colours in nature, including most of the blue, purple and emerald green tones found in flowers, leaves, fruits and vegetables. In addition, most of the yellow, orange and red colours that are NOT carotenoids belong to the flavonoid family.

Another distinction: carotenoids are LIPID-soluble, while flavonoids are predominantly WATER-soluble.

Flavonoids represent a large family of phytonutrients (plant nutrients). More than 4,000 unique flavonoids have been identified so far - and the number is growing! Because of their chemical structure, flavonoids are part of a broader family of compounds known as polyphenols.

In our diet, flavonoids are found primarily in fruits and vegetables; significant amounts of flavonoids are also found in teas and wines. Citrus fruits and berries are particularly high in flavonoids. In plants, flavonoids appear to act as a natural sunscreen, protecting against ultraviolet damage. In people, flavonoids appear to interfere with the complex and multiple processes that lead to conditions that tend to manifest as the years go by.

One of the primary functions of dietary flavonoids is to act as antioxidant protectors of the watery areas in and around cells and in body fluids such as blood.

FLAVONOIDS AS NATURE INTENDED - FROM WHOLE FOODS

Like carotenoids, flavonoids do not appear in isolation in nature. Specific flavonoids appear in different foods; natural foods invariably contain many flavonoids in groups. It is the DIVERSITY of foods that we eat, and the DENSITY of nutrients in those foods, that contribute to protective benefits. NeoLife’s Flavonoid Complex provides flavonoid diversity and density from a variety of Nature’s richest whole-food sources.

FLAVONOIDS AND VITAMIN C: THE PERFECT COMBINATION

Historically, flavonoids have been associated with vitamin C. As early as 1939, flavonoids in citrus fruits, then referred to as “vitamin P,” were known to enhance vitamin C activity. Today even more is known about the interactions of vitamin C and the large family of flavonoids represented in Flavonoid Complex:

  • Flavonoids possess vitamin C - stabilizing and antioxidant-dependent vitamin C - sparing activities.
  • Both flavonoids and vitamin C have complementary roles in safe guarding the stomach and the intestine from food-borne substances which can pose severe challenges to the well-being of the body.
  • Flavonoids and vitamin C occur together in plants. Vitamin C can protect flavonoids from oxidation.
  • Flavonoids enhance vitamin C absorption. Vitamin C may enhance flavonoid absorption.