Benefits Of Flavonoid As Antioxidant

People think chocolate contains many calories that are not good for health, especially for those with problems with weight and whelk. In fact, many people mistakenly think, chocolate is good for health. Really?

Not many know that chocolate contains flavonoids antioxidants which are beneficial to health. Chocolate comes from cocoa plants with high contents of flavanols and included in the flavonoid phytochemical. Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) are a class of plant secondary metabolites. According to the IUPAC nomenclature, they can be classified into:

* flavonoids, derived from 2-phenylchromen-4-one (2-phenyl-1,4-benzopyrone) structure
* isoflavonoids, derived from 3-phenylchromen-4-one (3-phenyl-1,4-benzopyrone) structure
* neoflavonoids, derived from 4-phenylcoumarine (4-phenyl-1,2-benzopyrone) structure.

Flavonoids are most commonly known for their antioxidant activity. Flavonoids are also commonly referred to as bioflavonoids in the media – the terms are largely equivalent and interchangeable, for most flavonoids are biological in origin. Flavonoids are "the most common group of polyphenolic compounds in the human diet and are found ubiquitously in plants".

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants fulfilling many functions including producing yellow or red/blue pigmentation in flowers and protection from attack by microbes and insects.

The widespread distribution of flavonoids, their variety and their relatively low toxicity compared to other active plant compounds (for instance alkaloids) mean that many animals, including humans, ingest significant quantities in their diet.

Flavonoids have been referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers" because of strong experimental evidence of their inherent ability to modify the body's reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity.

Consumers and food manufacturers have become interested in flavonoids for their medicinal properties, especially their potential role in the prevention of cancers and cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects of fruit, vegetables, and tea or even red wine have been attributed to flavonoid compounds rather than to known nutrients and vitamins.

Excerpted From: WIKIPEDIA