According to the latest published work fruits and vegetables are essential in the weight loss process, right next to regular physical activity. The UK Medical Journal published a study that which concluded that vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids are very effective in the weight loss process.
It Took the Scientists 24 Years to Reach These Results
Flavonoids are bioactive compounds that can be found in a large variety of vegetables and fruits. The substance is mostly found in vegetables and fruit that have a reddish color, but also in citrus fruits, tea, and even onions.
The study was conducted on a sample of 124,000 volunteers. The participants were middle-aged American women and men and they were monitored for 24 years via a questionnaire.
Volunteers Were Monitored Every Four Years via a Questionnaire
The volunteers completed the questionnaire once every four years. The questions involved details like the participant’s BMI (index of body mass), age, level of physical activity, changes in the smoking status, sleep hours frequency and TV watching or sitting down frequency.
The scientists also focused on the changes in the intake of certain foods like juice, fried potatoes, refined grains, whole grains, nuts, fried foods, low-fat dairy product, whole-fat dairy products, drinks that were sweetened with sugar, diet drinks, processed meats, sweets, non-processed meats, seafood, trans fats, caffeine and alcohol.
Because citrus fruit juices are very rich in flavonoid-based substances, the researchers focused on other types of juices in the questionnaire as an analysis covariate.
Only Clinically Healthy Individuals Were Allowed to Participate
In order for the results to be more accurate, individuals that suffered from illnesses such as diabetes, obesity or other such common diseases were excluded from the list of participants because their disorders make them prone to weight gaining or weight loss and it would have affected the final results of the study.
Fruits and Vegetables Are Essential in the Weight Loss Process
According to the final results, a big part of the participants gained approximatively one or two kilograms over the span of four years, but every 10 mg of anthocyanins, 138 mg of flavonoid polymers and 7 mg of flavonols contributed to an average of 70 or 100 grams of weight loss.
According to the NHS, people should not take the results of the study literally and start eating only flavonoid-rich vegetables and fruits. A healthy diet is a mixed diet that contains vegetables, fruits, grains and meat. Their advice is to eat more vegetables and fruits, especially the flavonoid-based ones and exercise on a regular basis.
Fruits and vegetables are essential in the weight loss process, so for more information on the fruits and veggies that are rich in the miracle flavonoid substance, you can check out the video below.
Image source: www.flickr.com
