Adding foods like blueberries, plums, blackberries, fava beans and cherries to your daily diet, especially when combined with green tea, could be a simple way to support heart health, according to new research.
A large international study led by scientists from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, the University of California Davis and Mars, Inc., found that most people do not consume enough flavanols, natural compounds linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
The researchers found that less than 20% of people met the level of flavanol intake associated with heart health benefits. Even many people who regularly ate the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables failed to achieve that goal.
Published on June 8, 2026 in the magazine Power and functionThe study analyzed dietary data from more than 30,000 people in the United Kingdom and the United States using biomarker measurements to assess flavanol intake.
Most People Fall Short on Flavanols
Dr Javier Ottaviani, lead author of the study, said: “Flavanols can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only if sufficient quantities are consumed. Most people assume that eating lots of fruits and vegetables covers this, but what this research shows is that the specific decisions you make matter much more than the total amount. Including a handful of blackberries, a whole apple or drinking a cup of green tea with your meal could make a real difference to the amount of these beneficial compounds. that is actually consumed and absorbed from the body.”
The findings suggest that simply increasing fruit and vegetable consumption may not be enough. The specific foods that people choose appear to play an important role in determining how many flavanols they actually consume.
Foods high in heart-healthy flavanols
Previous research, including the COSMOS study, the largest clinical trial to examine flavanols, found that consuming 500 milligrams of flavanols per day significantly reduced the risk of death from heart disease.
The new study indicates that most people remain well below that level, even when following standard healthy eating recommendations, such as the NHS Eatwell Guide.
Researchers identified the following foods as some of the richest dietary sources of flavanols per serving:
- Plums (500 g, about a basket): ~450 mg flavanols
- Blueberries (250 g, about a basket): ~300 mg flavanols
- Blackberries (200 g, about a punnet): ~250 mg flavanols
- Green tea (one 250 ml cup): ~200 mg flavanols
- Broad beans/fava beans (80 g, small handful): ~140 mg flavanols
- Cherries (400 g, about a basket): ~130 mg flavanols
- Apples with skin (200 g, one medium apple): ~110 mg flavanols
- Strawberries (200 g, about a basket): ~90 mg flavanols
- Blueberries (150 g, about a basket): ~80 mg flavanols
- Pinto beans (40 g, two tablespoons dry): ~70 mg flavanols
Could dietary guidelines be improved?
The results also raise questions about whether current nutritional recommendations could better help people obtain beneficial compounds such as flavanols.
Professor Gunter Kuhnle from 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 very different nutritional benefits beyond vitamins and minerals, and as our understanding of these compounds grows, there is a real opportunity to make dietary guidance more targeted and more effective. This research is a step towards understanding what that might look like in practice.”
The researchers say the findings highlight an important point. While eating plenty of fruits and vegetables remains the cornerstone of a healthy diet, the types of produce chosen can have a significant impact on heart health benefits.