Dietary Flavonoid Intake and Weight Change

Background Higher flavonoid consumption may be associated with less weight gain over time through mechanisms related to energy balance, glucose metabolism, fat oxidation, and adipokine secretion. Objective To examine whether intake of specific flavonoid sub‐classes is associated with weight change over time. Methods We examined the association between change in intake of the range of flavonoid sub‐classes and change in weight in three large prospective cohorts of 124,102 men and women participating in the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study (HPFS), Nurses' Health Study (NHS), and Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II). From 1986 to 2006, these associations were examined within multiple 4‐year time intervals, adjusting for simultaneous changes in other lifestyle factors including other aspects of diet, smoking status, and physical activity. Results were combined using a fixed effects meta‐analysis. Results Increased consumption of all flavonoid sub‐classes was inversely associated with weight change over 4‐year time intervals. The greatest magnitude of association was observed for anthocyanins (‐0.52 lbs, 95% CI ‐0.74 to ‐0.30 lbs per additional SD/day, 22 mg). Conclusions These data may help to refine previous dietary recommendations for the prevention of obesity. This research was supported by the NIH, the Danish Council for Strategic Research, and the Rose Traveling Fellowship. Table. 4‐Year Weight Change (lbs, 95% CI) Associated with Increased Daily Flavonoid Intake (1 SD/day) HPFS NHS NHS II Pooled SD n=20,541 n=39,423 n=64,138 n = 124,102 Flavonols 13 mg ‐0.28 (‐1.37, ‐0.19) ‐0.15 (‐0.22, ‐0.09) ‐0.41 (‐0.48, ‐0.34) ‐0.28 (‐0.44, ‐0.12) Flavones 1.9 mg ‐0.15 (‐0.26, ‐0.05) ‐0.37 (‐0.45, ‐0.28) ‐0.42 (‐0.49, ‐0.35) ‐0.32 (‐0.47, ‐0.17) Flavanones 37 mg ‐0.17 (‐0.29, ‐0.06) ‐0.09 (‐0.17, ‐0.00) ‐0.05 (‐0.11, 0.01) ‐0.09 (‐0.16, ‐0.03) Flavan‐3‐ols 61 mg ‐0.13 (‐0.21, ‐0.04) ‐0.03 (‐0.10, 0.03) ‐0.16 (‐0.22, ‐0.09) ‐0.10 (‐0.18, ‐0.03) Anthocyanins 22 mg ‐0.42 (‐0.51, ‐0.32) ‐0.41 (‐0.48, ‐0.34) ‐0.72 (‐0.79, ‐0.66) ‐0.52 (‐0.74, ‐0.30) Polymers 271 mg ‐0.22 (‐0.31, ‐0.13) ‐0.14 (‐0.21, 0.08) ‐0.33 (‐0.40, ‐0.26) ‐0.23 (‐0.35, ‐0.12) Total flavonoids 298 mg ‐0.26 (‐0.35, ‐0.17) ‐0.16 (‐0.23, ‐0.10) ‐0.37 (‐0.43, ‐0.30) ‐0.26 (‐0.39, ‐0.14) Adjusted for age and change in BMI, smoking status, physical activity, hours of sitting, hours of sleep, and diet.