Key TakeawaysNew research associated a flavonoid-rich diet with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.Flavonoids are plant compounds found in berries, apples, citrus fruits, and legumes.Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables in general, so experts recommend consuming more produce regardless of the flavonoid content.

Key Takeaways

New research associated a flavonoid-rich diet with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.Flavonoids are plant compounds found in berries, apples, citrus fruits, and legumes.Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables in general, so experts recommend consuming more produce regardless of the flavonoid content.

A diet rich inflavonoids—compounds found in foods like tea, berries, and apples—can significantly reduce the risk of developingtype 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.

The study, which followed over 113,000 participants for 12 years, revealed that those who consumed six servings of flavonoid-rich foods daily had a 26% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those with minimal intake.

Previous studies have also found that dietary flavonoids may protect against type 2 diabetes and improve biomarkers like lipid metabolism andinsulin sensitivity.

Over 38 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and rates are expected to increase in young people.However, certain lifestyle factors—including diet—can help prevent or slow the progression of type 2 diabetes.

“So much of managing type two diabetes is going to deal with diet,”Dolores Woods, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian with UTHealth Houston, told Verywell.

Eating fruits and vegetables with flavonoids instead of less nutritious calorie-dense options can help with weight and blood sugar management, Woods said.

“Having those dietary changes really goes a long way with delaying type 2 diabetes,” she added.

Eating Potatoes Might Be Linked to a Longer Life—If You Cook Them a Certain Way

Are You Eating Enough Flavonoids?

Anyone who wants to eat more flavonoid-rich foods to reduce inflammation and chronic disease risk can start with produce. Apples, kale, onions, oranges, grapes, celery, berries, grapefruit, red wine, tea, legumes, and soybeans all contain flavonoids.

“If they’re growing in the soil, you’re probably going to get some flavonoids in that way,” saidJeanette M. Andrade, PhD, RDN, LDN, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida.

When you consume flavonoids, these compounds break down and may bind to inflamed markers to help move them out of your system, Andrade explained.

“Type 2 diabetes, like cardiovascular disease, obesity, and kidney disease, are all considered inflamed states,” she said.

Some evidence suggests consuming more than 500 milligrams per day helps protect against chronic disease.However, it’s hard to track flavonoid intake since the amount varies in different foods.

In general, a diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables would be beneficial. TheDietary Guidelines for Americansrecommend adults eat 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit and two to four cups of vegetables each day, depending on age and sex.

“Everyone should benefit from eating, in general, more fruits and vegetables, whether or not there’s ‘X amount’ of flavonoids in one product versus another product,” Andrade said.

Why You Should Consider Eating Avocados If You Have Diabetes

How Can You Eat More Fruits and Vegetables?

Most Americans don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables despite their health benefits.

Woods said that if you struggle to eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, consider small changes like eating an apple or some berries every day.

“Then start incorporating more and more vegetables. Find different ways—it could be smoothies and salads or even putting some of these ingredients in rice or pasta,” Woods said.

While eating more flavonoid-rich foods is a good idea for everyone, these foods alone won’t prevent every chronic disease, Andrade said.

Managing stress and getting 150 minutes of physical activity each week, along with eating a balanced, nutritious diet, all play a role in delaying or preventing type 2 diabetes.

“Are you drinking enough water? Are you doing any sort of physical activity,” Andrade said. “It’s more the whole lifestyle approach.”

Are Lean Cuisine’s New Meals Really Diabetes-Friendly?

What This Means For YouEating flavonoid-rich foods can help reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. However, these alone will not prevent disease risk so focus on eating more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

What This Means For You

Eating flavonoid-rich foods can help reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. However, these alone will not prevent disease risk so focus on eating more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thompson AS, Jennings A, Bondonno NP, et al.Higher habitual intakes of flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes in the UK Biobank cohort.Nutr Diabetes. 2024;14(1):32. doi:10.1038/s41387-024-00288-0Guo XF, Ruan Y, Li ZH, Li D.Flavonoid subclasses and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2850-2862. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1476964Liu F, Sirisena S, Ng K.Efficacy of flavonoids on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(21):4916-4941. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2009761Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About type 2 diabetes.Tönnies T, Brinks R, Isom S, et al.Projections of type 1 and type 2 diabetes burden in the U.S. Population aged <20 years through 2060: the SEARCH for diabetes in youth study.Diabetes Care. 2023;46(2):313-320. doi:10.2337/dc22-0945University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Phytochemicals and cancer: what you should know.Del Bo' C, Bernardi S, Marino M, et al.Systematic review on polyphenol intake and health outcomes: is there sufficient evidence to define a health-promoting polyphenol-rich dietary pattern?.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1355. doi:10.3390/nu11061355U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: fruits.U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: vegetables.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations - United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(1):1-9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National diabetes prevention program - about the lifestyle change program.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prediabetes – your chance to prevent type 2 diabetes.

12 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thompson AS, Jennings A, Bondonno NP, et al.Higher habitual intakes of flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes in the UK Biobank cohort.Nutr Diabetes. 2024;14(1):32. doi:10.1038/s41387-024-00288-0Guo XF, Ruan Y, Li ZH, Li D.Flavonoid subclasses and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2850-2862. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1476964Liu F, Sirisena S, Ng K.Efficacy of flavonoids on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(21):4916-4941. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2009761Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About type 2 diabetes.Tönnies T, Brinks R, Isom S, et al.Projections of type 1 and type 2 diabetes burden in the U.S. Population aged <20 years through 2060: the SEARCH for diabetes in youth study.Diabetes Care. 2023;46(2):313-320. doi:10.2337/dc22-0945University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Phytochemicals and cancer: what you should know.Del Bo' C, Bernardi S, Marino M, et al.Systematic review on polyphenol intake and health outcomes: is there sufficient evidence to define a health-promoting polyphenol-rich dietary pattern?.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1355. doi:10.3390/nu11061355U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: fruits.U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: vegetables.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations - United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(1):1-9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National diabetes prevention program - about the lifestyle change program.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prediabetes – your chance to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Thompson AS, Jennings A, Bondonno NP, et al.Higher habitual intakes of flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes in the UK Biobank cohort.Nutr Diabetes. 2024;14(1):32. doi:10.1038/s41387-024-00288-0Guo XF, Ruan Y, Li ZH, Li D.Flavonoid subclasses and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2850-2862. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1476964Liu F, Sirisena S, Ng K.Efficacy of flavonoids on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(21):4916-4941. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2009761Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About type 2 diabetes.Tönnies T, Brinks R, Isom S, et al.Projections of type 1 and type 2 diabetes burden in the U.S. Population aged <20 years through 2060: the SEARCH for diabetes in youth study.Diabetes Care. 2023;46(2):313-320. doi:10.2337/dc22-0945University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Phytochemicals and cancer: what you should know.Del Bo' C, Bernardi S, Marino M, et al.Systematic review on polyphenol intake and health outcomes: is there sufficient evidence to define a health-promoting polyphenol-rich dietary pattern?.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1355. doi:10.3390/nu11061355U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: fruits.U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: vegetables.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations - United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(1):1-9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National diabetes prevention program - about the lifestyle change program.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prediabetes – your chance to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Thompson AS, Jennings A, Bondonno NP, et al.Higher habitual intakes of flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes in the UK Biobank cohort.Nutr Diabetes. 2024;14(1):32. doi:10.1038/s41387-024-00288-0

Guo XF, Ruan Y, Li ZH, Li D.Flavonoid subclasses and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2850-2862. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1476964

Liu F, Sirisena S, Ng K.Efficacy of flavonoids on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(21):4916-4941. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2009761

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About type 2 diabetes.

Tönnies T, Brinks R, Isom S, et al.Projections of type 1 and type 2 diabetes burden in the U.S. Population aged <20 years through 2060: the SEARCH for diabetes in youth study.Diabetes Care. 2023;46(2):313-320. doi:10.2337/dc22-0945

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Phytochemicals and cancer: what you should know.

Del Bo' C, Bernardi S, Marino M, et al.Systematic review on polyphenol intake and health outcomes: is there sufficient evidence to define a health-promoting polyphenol-rich dietary pattern?.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1355. doi:10.3390/nu11061355

U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: fruits.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.MyPlate: vegetables.

Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations - United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(1):1-9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.National diabetes prevention program - about the lifestyle change program.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prediabetes – your chance to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?