There was one exception, however. Women who consumed higher amounts of a particular flavonol called kaempferol were less likely to die of heart disease than women with the lowest intakes.
Kaempferol is found in foods such as tea and broccoli, and Lin's team found that women who ate the most broccoli had a relatively lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than their peers who shunned the vegetable.
It's possible that among flavonoids, kaempferol has a particular cardiovascular benefit, according to Lin. For now, though, she said, the finding on kaempferol is an "interesting" one that warrants further study.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, June 1, 2007.
