Flavonoid Intake and Mortality from Cardiovascular Disease and All Causes: A meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies

Abstract

BackgroundAccumulating studies have suggested that flavonoid intake is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are many epidemiological studies on flavonoid intake and mortality, but no comprehensive investigation has yet been conducted.ObjectiveTo quantitatively assess the association between flavonoid intake and mortality from CVD and all‐causes, we performed a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.DesignEligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and Web of Science databases for all articles published up to June 2015 and via hand searching. Study‐specific estimates adjusting for potential confounders were combined to calculate a pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random‐effects model.ResultsA total of 15 publications that examined the association between flavonoid intake and mortality from CVD and all‐causes were identified. The pooled RR of CVD mortality for the highest versus lowest category of flavonoid intake was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.98). By subclass of flavonoids, all classes showed significant inverse associations, except flavonols and isoflavones. For total mortality, high flavonoid intake is weakly associated with lower total mortality (pooled RR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.01). The associations did not differ substantially by sex and geographical region.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that higher intake of flavonoids is associated with a reduced risk of mortality from CVD and all causes in men and women. These results support current recommendations of high fruit and vegetables intake as a part of a healthy diet.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (NRF‐2015R1A1A1A05001362).