title: Flavonoid intake and all-cause mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flavonoids are bioactive compounds found in foods such as tea, chocolate, red wine, fruit, and vegetables. Higher intakes of specific flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods have been linked to reduced mortality from specific vascular diseases and cancers. However, the importance of flavonoids in preventing all-cause mortality remains uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to explore the association between flavonoid intake and risk of 5-y mortality from all causes by using 2 comprehensive food composition databases to assess flavonoid intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 1063 randomly selected women aged >75 y. All-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortalities were assessed over 5 y of follow-up through the Western Australia Data Linkage System. Two estimates of flavonoid intake (total flavonoidUSDA and total flavonoidPE) were determined by using food composition data from the USDA and the Phenol-Explorer (PE) databases, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 5-y follow-up period, 129 (12%) deaths were documented. Participants with high total flavonoid intake were at lower risk [multivariate-adjusted HR (95% CI)] of 5-y all-cause mortality than those with low total flavonoid consumption [total flavonoidUSDA: 0.37 (0.22, 0.58); total flavonoidPE: 0.36 (0.22, 0.60)]. Similar beneficial relations were observed for both cardiovascular disease mortality [total flavonoidUSDA: 0.34 (0.17, 0.69); flavonoidPE: 0.32 (0.16, 0.61)] and cancer mortality [total flavonoidUSDA: 0.25 (0.10, 0.62); flavonoidPE: 0.26 (0.11, 0.62)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the most comprehensive flavonoid databases, we provide evidence that high consumption of flavonoids is associated with reduced risk of mortality in older women. The benefits of flavonoids may extend to the etiology of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); and the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH and KDC).
authors.forename: Kerry L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ivey
authors.affiliation: From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); and the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH and KDC).
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.affiliation: From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); and the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH and KDC).
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.affiliation: From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); and the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH and KDC).
authors.forename: Joshua R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: From the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia (KLI, JRL, and RLP); and the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia (JMH and KDC).
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Prince
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids
keywords: cancer; cardiovascular disease; diet; flavonoid; mortality