Flavonoid Intakes are Predictive of Dietary Quality and Most Components of the Healthy Eating Index 2010

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Although one might assume that a diet containing an abundance of bioactive compounds like flavonoids would be more compliant with established national nutrition guidance than a diet low in these compounds, no research has examined this premise. This study's objective was to examine associations between flavonoid intake and total and individual component scores of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010. One day of 24-hour dietary recall data from adults 蠅20 years (n = 5,420) who participated in What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008 was analyzed. Flavonoid intakes were calculated using USDA's “Flavonoid Values for USDA Survey Foods 2007-2008.” The sample was divided into quartiles based on flavonoid intake. Trends in adjusted mean total and component HEI scores by flavonoid intake were assessed via orthogonal polynomial contrasts. Positive linear trends in total HEI score and nearly all HEI components were observed with increasing quartile of flavonoid intake (<0.001). As expected, component scores concerning fruits and vegetables improved significantly with increasing flavonoid intake, but so did component scores not necessarily related to flavonoid-containing foods, including refined grains and empty calories. A diet high in flavonoids is a proxy for higher overall diet quality and greater compliance to multiple, specific national nutrition recommendations. Funding by ARS, USDA and ODS, NIH.