Berry Flavanols for Your Heart Health

If a heart health headline gets your attention on a regular basis, you are a veteran of many, many mixed messages, but we can all agree that more berries with more flavanols will lower heart risk. Yes, the debate over carbs and fats (particularly cholesterols) rages, but large studies like the COSMOS study make a strong case that 500mg of flavanols per day lowers risk of heart disease deaths. Further studies like this one indicate that most of us are not getting anywhere near that amount.

With recommendations for about 5 servings of flavanol rich fruits and berries per day to get the 500mg, look for a variety of options, both to avoid food boredom and to get the proper range of flavanols. Some of the foods higher in flavanols (starting high and working down) include plums, cranberries, blackberries (my favorite), green tea, cherries, apples with skin, strawberries (also awesome), blueberries, and pinto beans.

In the Food and Function journal article, only about 20% of people surveyed in Britain reached the 500mg threshold as measured by blood biomarkers. This shortfall even occurred in some who reported eating the recommend 5 servings per day.

As a functional MD who regularly studies the effects of natural compounds on our patients’ health and talks to patients about their diets, none of this surprises me. We employ flavonoids and flavanols (related chemicals from food) to support a variety of processes in our patients. These often includes single ingredient supplements like quercetin, luteolin, resveratrol, and EGCG, but also whole ingredient supplements like pomegranate, broccoli extract, green tea extract, and whole foods in a low inflammatory diet.

While our chronically ill and struggling patients often need higher doses to see recovery, everyone inside and outside our clinic could benefit from getting more of these anti-oxidants in their daily food intake. Different research shows how they can not only lower inflammation, but also lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, improve gut function, lower cholesterol, slow aging, and optimize health.

So, don’t be shy today, get to know a cup of berries or cup of green tea today. Sit back and enjoy not only the pleasure on your taste buds, but also the knowledge that your heart will be happier and healthier if you partake of this pleasurable habit more often.

Pursuing a healthier, more abundant life does not always have to be strain and sweat or giving up things. Sometimes, it includes adding tasty berries, as long as you don’t cover them with extra sugar or the like—though your doctor should be able to forgive some low-sugar dark chocolate on the strawberries.

Original Article:

Javier I. Ottaviani, John W. Erdman, Francene M. Steinberg, JoAnn E. Manson, Howard D. Sesso, Hagen Schroeter, Gunter G. C. Kuhnle. Adhering to dietary guidelines does not yield flavanol intake levels associated with beneficial cardiovascular effects. Food, 2026; DOI: 10.1039/D6FO00867D

Thanks to Science Daily:

University of Reading. “Think you’re eating healthy? You may be missing this heart-protecting nutrient.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 June 2026. .

Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.

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