Best Polyphenol Supplements

Polyphenols are nutrients naturally found in plant foods, responsible for their health-promoting properties. Examples include berries, vegetables, spices, coffee and tea, herbs, and dark chocolate. The more colorful the plant – the higher the polyphenol content. Polyphenols protect plants against the sun’s radiation and help defend them against disease.

Foods rich in polyphenols and polyphenol compounds protect us similarly, acting as antioxidants and helping combat inflammation, among other essential benefits.

These supplements come in a myriad of forms from powdered mixes, to tablets and capsules, and gummies. How and when you use the products will vary by brand and method of delivery.

There are quite a few different types of polyphenols, below are a few of the most common.
The first type is flavonoids. Flavonoids are the largest group of phytonutrients, with more than 6,000 types, found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids and carotenoids are responsible for the vivid colors in fruits and vegetables. In supplementation, quercetin from green vegetables, apples, or onions is the most popular compound.

The next type of polyphenols is phenolic acids. Phenolic acids are a phytochemical found in the seeds, skins of fruits, and leaves of vegetables. Green tea and caffeine are two of the more recognizable compounds in this group.

One final common type of polyphenol is polyphenolic amides. This category includes the capsaicinoids found in chili peppers and the powerful antioxidant avenanthramides found only in oats. The compound capsaicin is frequently used in weight loss supplements and is thought to have benefits in increasing metabolism by burning fats.

Many of the remaining polyphenols are popular in supplementation, including resveratrol from red wine, curcumin, and turmeric, and the lignans in flax seeds, sesame seeds, and whole grains.

It’s all about antioxidant polyphenols. In 1956 Denham Harman, a Cal Berkley Ph.D. theorized that free radicals were a primary contributor to aging and death, the “free radical theory of aging.” Generations of scientists have followed in Harman’s path, exploring the role of free radicals in aging and disease and the effectiveness of antioxidants to forestall both. We have since learned that free radical damage is a chief contributor to the most common diseases of aging, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and even arthritis.

Some of the most potent antioxidant polyphenols used in the natural products space include green tea extract, CoQ 10, resveratrol, quercetin, cocoa beans, pomegranate, and caffeine.

There are two types of inflammation, acute inflammation, and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation happens when you experience swelling, as with inflamed joints, arthritis, or infection. Chronic inflammation is more severe and more deadly.

The insidious thing about chronic, low-level inflammation is that it so often has no symptoms or signs; plaque in arteries, bacteria, or cells dividing uncontrollably as in cancer. Some experts believe that if we could eliminate chronic inflammation, we could slash the chance of heart disease and cancer by 50%.

Research on the dangers of systemic inflammation indicates it is a much more significant factor in the diseases of aging than most people, or even their doctors realize. It now appears to be a primary risk factor for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. Understanding and controlling systemic inflammation is critical to disease prevention and life extension.

Some of the polyphenol compounds with the most potent anti-inflammatory properties include quercetin, rutin, morin, hesperetin, and hesperidin.

What causes us to age? We often think of aging as the things we lose or that decline or decay over time, such as wrinkles, graying hair, less muscle mass, less energy, and decreased libido. So, is aging inevitable?
Scientists theorize that aging is accumulated wear and tear from toxins, free-radical damage, chronic inflammation, declining hormone levels, DNA-damaging radiation, disease, and stress. The thinking is that eventually, our bodies wear out and can’t fight back.

Contrast this with a theory offered by Dan Buettner in Blue Zones:

“Scientific studies suggest that genes dictate only about 25 percent of how long we live. The other 75 percent is determined by our lifestyles and the everyday choices we make. If we optimize our lifestyles, we can maximize our life expectancies within our biological limits.”

At what age should one start an anti-aging regimen? Skincare companies will tell you that skin begins to age in your twenties and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Dan Buettner suggests that optimizing lifestyle choices, particularly diet and exercise, should start as early as possible.

In addition to these lifestyle changes, though, supplements can help push your health to the next level and fill in the gaps for areas currently missing. That’s where polyphenol supplements swoop in to save the say. These nutrients, naturally found in plant foods, can provide a wide variety of health benefits including reduced inflammation, increased energy, antioxidant effects, and more. In this guide, we will take a more thorough look at polyphenol supplements and their key ingredients, and give you our picks for the best polyphenol supplements worth adding to your diet routine.

Although most people don’t take in sufficient polyphenols through diet alone, there are foods you can choose to improve your antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some of the best-known sources are Dark Leafy, Vegetables, Cocoa, Berries, Green tea, and Coffee.

Although these are some of the best-known sources, many other foods offer significant amounts of these compounds, some delightful such as red wine and dark chocolate.

Other supplements high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories would be Vitamin C, A, and E. beta-carotene, and Astaxanthin.

Just a quick review of the attributes of polyphenol supplements leads us to a resounding, yes! Understanding the dangers of free radical damage and chronic inflammation alone is sufficient reason to endorse these powerhouse polyphenols. Add to that the fact that diet alone does not achieve the recommended daily intake, plus the NCBI’s documented and published clinical trial evidence – we endorse the use of polyphenol supplements.

That said, we caution against the prudent use of these supplements as the higher quantity of polyphenols in some supplements may exceed recommended doses.

No doubt, polyphenol-rich foods are safe for most people. Some polyphenol supplements can interact with medications or nutrient absorption. They may reduce your body’s ability to absorb other essential elements.

When considering adding a new supplement to your regimen, talk to your doctor first, particularly if you have a diagnosed nutrient deficiency or are on prescription medicines.

Per the National Center for Biotechnology Information, clinical studies on fruit-derived polyphenols’ effect on athletic performance indicate they may enhance endurance and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.

“Fruit-derived polyphenols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can enhance exercise performance, since excess reactive oxygen species generation has been implicated in fatigue development, and enhance recovery from intensive exercise due to the involvement of inflammation and oxidative damage within muscle.”