Polyphenols: Helping in the Fight against Diseases

You might not be familiar with polyphenols, but you should be. Recent studies have shown that polyphenols can fight diseases like cancer and improve the look and feel of your skin. Here we’ll discuss why polyphenols are important, what exactly they are, and where you can find them.

Why Are Polyphenols Important?

Scientists have recently begun to do new research into the benefits of polyphenols, and the results are astounding. Polyphenols have been shown to help prevent degenerative diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease, and even to help kill existing cancer cells.

In a recent Dutch report, men with similar risks for heart disease were studied, and those who ate more polyphenol-rich foods were found to lower their risk of heart disease by 58% compared to their counterparts who did not eat as many polyphenol containing foods.

In a similar study conducted in Finland, women who consumed more polyphenols had 27% lower chance of dying from heart disease versus women who did not consume many polyphenols. The same study found the risk of death from heart disease was reduced by 33%, or one-third, for men with polyphenol heavy diets.

The positive effects of polyphenols on the body are almost immediate-participants in one study had improved circulation just two hours after ingesting polyphenol-rich cocoa. Polyphenols can also be absorbed through the skin, and so are beneficial ingredients in skin care and cosmetic products.

What Are Polyphenols?

By this point you’re probably wondering what exactly polyphenols are. Polyphenol is the group name for set of naturally occurring compounds found in many plants. Polyphenols are further divided into two sub-groups, flavonoids and nonflavonoids, both of which are beneficial to your health.

Polyphenols help protect against diseases because they are natural antioxidants, meaning that they fight damage, like cancer, caused by free radicals. Polyphenols also help the immune system to quickly respond to any threat from bacteria or other invaders, and help repair cell damage caused by smoking and other environmental toxins.

Polyphenols have even been shown to literally kill cancer cells, so not only do they help prevent cancer, but they also help fight diseases that do manage to take hold of your body!