A groundbreaking study has revealed that consuming a diverse range of foods rich in flavonoids, such as tea, berries, dark chocolate, and apples, can lower the risk of developing serious health conditions and potentially lead to a longer lifespan. The research, conducted by a team of scientists from Queen’s University Belfast, Edith Cowan University Perth, and the Medical University of Vienna, tracked over 120,000 participants aged 40-70 years old for more than a decade.

Flavonoids are powerful compounds found in plant-based foods like tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, grapes, and even red wine and dark chocolate. The study’s findings show that increasing the diversity of flavonoids within your diet can help prevent conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and neurological diseases.

The research team led by Dr. Benjamin Parmenter, a Research Fellow at ECU, discovered that consuming around 500 mg of flavonoids per day was associated with a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality, as well as a 10% lower risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease. That’s roughly the amount found in two cups of tea.

However, the study revealed that those who consumed the widest diversity of flavonoids had an even lower risk of these diseases, even when consuming the same total amount. For example, instead of just drinking tea, it’s better to eat a range of flavonoid-rich foods to make up your intake, as different flavonoids come from different foods.

The study’s co-lead author, Professor Aedín Cassidy from Queen’s University Belfast, emphasized that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. The researchers also noted that different flavonoids work in different ways, some improving blood pressure, others helping with cholesterol levels and decreasing inflammation.

The findings are significant as they suggest that consuming a higher quantity and wider diversity of flavonoids has the potential to lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just relying on a single source. The study’s results also align with popular claims that eating colourful foods is invaluable for maintaining good health.

As the first-ever dietary guidelines for flavonoids recommend increasing consumption to maintain health, this study provides inaugural evidence that we may also need to advise increasing diversity of intake of these compounds for optimal benefits. The results provide a clear public health message, suggesting that simple and achievable dietary swaps, such as drinking more tea and eating more berries and apples for example, can help increase the variety and intake of flavonoid-rich foods, and potentially improve health in the long-term.

The severe heart disease of old age, characterized by aortic valve narrowing (aortic stenosis) combined with cardiac amyloidosis, has long been associated with a high risk of death. For years, treatment has focused on replacing the narrowed heart valve, while often leaving the amyloid deposits in the heart muscle untreated. A groundbreaking international study led by MedUni Vienna and University College London has now demonstrated that combining heart valve replacement with specific drug therapy can significantly prolong life for patients with this condition.

Led by Christian Nitsche (Department of Medicine II, Clinical Division of Cardiology, MedUni Vienna) and Thomas Treibel (Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, University College London), the research team analyzed data from 226 patients with aortic stenosis and concomitant cardiac amyloidosis from ten countries. Their study revealed that both aortic valve replacement and treatment with the drug tafamidis for amyloidosis were associated with a lower risk of death.

Most impressively, the survival benefit was highest in patients who received both forms of treatment. “Our results show that patients with both conditions who received valve replacement and specific amyloidosis therapy had similar long-term survival rates to people with aortic stenosis without amyloidosis,” emphasized study leader Christian Nitsche.

The targeted therapy can slow the progression of amyloidosis, while valve replacement treats the mechanical stress caused by the narrowed heart valve. The research suggests that around ten percent of patients with aortic stenosis also have amyloidosis, but this is often not diagnosed in everyday clinical practice.

“Our findings also suggest that patients with severe aortic valve stenosis should be screened for amyloidosis so that we can offer them targeted life-prolonging treatment options,” Christian Nitsche emphasized.

This study offers new hope for patients with severe heart disease and highlights the importance of combining therapy to improve outcomes. By targeting both the mechanical stress caused by aortic stenosis and the debilitating effects of cardiac amyloidosis, doctors can now provide their patients with more effective life-prolonging treatment options.

The study, led by researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis, has made significant strides in understanding the role of biomolecular condensation in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The research focuses on the interactions that drive the formation of condensates versus amyloid fibrils and their relationship to stress granules.

Stress granules are temporary structures formed by cells under conditions of cellular stress, akin to a ship lowering its sails in a storm. They have been previously implicated as drivers of neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). The researchers demonstrated that fibrils are the globally stable states of driver proteins, whereas condensates are metastable sinks.

Their findings show that disease-linked mutations diminish condensate metastability, thereby enhancing fibril formation. This suggests that stress granules may not be the primary culprits behind neurodegenerative diseases but rather a protective barrier against them. The researchers also discovered that while fibrils can form on condensates’ surfaces, proteins eventually incorporated into these fibrils stem from outside the condensate.

These discoveries have significant implications for developing potential treatments against neurodegenerative diseases. As lead researcher Tanja Mittag noted, “This information will aid in deciding how to develop potential treatments against a whole spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases.” The study’s findings also highlight the importance of considering stress granules as a protective barrier rather than a crucible for fibril formation.

In conclusion, this research provides crucial insights into the role of stress granules in neurodegenerative diseases. By understanding how these structures interact with fibrils and their relationship to disease-causing mutations, scientists can develop novel therapeutic approaches that may help combat these devastating conditions.