{"id":833,"date":"2026-06-08T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/?p=833"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:55:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:55:30","slug":"not-all-five-a-days-are-equal-for-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/not-all-five-a-days-are-equal-for-heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Not all five-a-days are equal for heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Including\u00a0<\/span>blueberr<\/span>ies<\/span>, plums, blackberries, broad\u00a0beans\u00a0or\u00a0cherries\u00a0(washed down with green tea)\u00a0in your five-a-day may\u00a0be the\u00a0best\u00a0way to\u00a0a healthier heart, new research suggests.<\/span><\/p>\n

A major\u00a0<\/span>research study<\/span>\u00a0involving scientists\u00a0from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Inc., found\u00a0that fewer than one in five people reached the flavanol intake\u00a0<\/span>that has been shown to reduce\u00a0<\/span>the risk of h<\/span>eart disease<\/span>,\u00a0even\u00a0including those who\u00a0regularly\u00a0ate five\u00a0portions\u00a0of fruit and vegetables\u00a0a day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The research, published today (Monday, 8 June,\u00a02026) in the journal\u00a0<\/span>Food and Function<\/span>\u00a0tracked the diets of more than 30,000 participants across the UK and United States using biomarker measurements.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Dr Javier Ottaviani, the paper’s lead author, said:\u00a0<\/span>“Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if you consume enough of them. Most people assume that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables covers this, but what this research shows is that the specific choices you make matter far more than the total amount. Including a handful of blackberries, a whole apple or having a cup of green tea alongside your meal could make a real difference to how much of these beneficial compounds you\u00a0actually consume\u00a0and absorb from the diet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommendations need review<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Previous\u00a0research,\u00a0<\/span>including the largest clinical trial\u00a0<\/span>of flavanols,\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>COSMOS<\/span><\/a>\u00a0study,\u00a0<\/span>found that a daily intake of 500mg of flavanols significantly reduced the risk of dying from\u00a0<\/span>heart\u00a0<\/span>disease. This new research finds that most people fall well short of that level, even when following standard healthy eating guidance<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>such as<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>NHS<\/span>\u00a0Eatwell Guide<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0The foods with the highest flavanol content per\u00a0portion\u00a0are:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plums<\/span>\u00a0(500g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately 45<\/span>0mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Cranberries<\/span>\u00a0(250g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately 3<\/span>00mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Blackberries<\/span>\u00a0(200g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately 2<\/span>50mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Green tea<\/span>\u00a0(one 250ml cup): approximately 200mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Broad beans\/fava beans<\/span>\u00a0(80g, a small handful): approximately\u00a0<\/span>140mg\u00a0of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Cherries<\/span>\u00a0(400g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately 13<\/span>0mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Apples with skin<\/span>\u00a0(200g, one medium apple): approximately 1<\/span>10mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Strawberries<\/span>\u00a0(200g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately\u00a0<\/span>90mg\u00a0of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Blueberries<\/span>\u00a0(150g,\u00a0roughly one\u00a0punnet): approximately 8<\/span>0mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Pinto beans<\/span>\u00a0(40g, two tablespoons dry): approximately\u00a0<\/span>70mg of flavanols<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The findings raise wider questions about\u00a0<\/span>whether current<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>dietary recommendations around fruit and vegetable consumption could be made more effective<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Professor Gunter Kuhnle of the University of Reading said: “Five-a-day is the right message, but we may need to think more carefully about which five. Different fruits and vegetables offer\u00a0very different\u00a0nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals, and as our understanding of these compounds grows, there is a real opportunity to make dietary guidance more specific and more effective. This research is a step towards understanding what that might look like in practice.”<\/span><\/p>\n

    Professor Gunter Kuhnle is available for interview. Contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or\u00a0<\/em><\/i><\/strong>pressoffice@reading.ac.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/i>Ottaviani, J. I., Erdman, J. W., Jr., Steinberg, F. M., Manson, J. E., Sesso, H. D., Schroeter, H., & Kuhnle, G. G. C. (2026). Adhering to dietary guidelines does not yield flavanol intake levels associated with beneficial cardiovascular effects. Food & Function, Advance Article.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1039\/D6FO00867D<\/a><\/em><\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Including\u00a0blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad\u00a0beans\u00a0or\u00a0cherries\u00a0(washed down with green tea)\u00a0in your five-a-day may\u00a0be the\u00a0best\u00a0way to\u00a0a healthier heart, new research suggests. A major\u00a0research study\u00a0involving scientists\u00a0from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, the…Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1187,"featured_media":834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"coauthors":[18],"class_list":["post-833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNot all five-a-days are equal for heart health - Agrifood Futures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/not-all-five-a-days-are-equal-for-heart-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Not all five-a-days are equal for heart health - Agrifood Futures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Including\u00a0blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad\u00a0beans\u00a0or\u00a0cherries\u00a0(washed down with green tea)\u00a0in your five-a-day may\u00a0be the\u00a0best\u00a0way to\u00a0a healthier heart, new research suggests. 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