Los alimentos ricos en flavonoides -como vegetales y frutas- pueden ayudar a mantener sano al corazón. Un estudio realizado con dos tipos de maíz: uno sin los flavonoides antocianinas y el otro muy ricos en estos componentes se administraron a dos grupos de roedores y se estudiaron los efectos sobre los ataques de corazón.

El consumo crónico de maíz rico en antocianinas conviertieron a las ratas en más resistentes al infarto de miocardio y el tamaño de la lesión fue inferior. La investigadora principal, Dra. Marie Claire Toufektsian, de la Universidad de Grenoble, insistió en la importancia de los flavonoides como parte de la llamada dieta Mediterranea o dieta saludable a diferencia de la dieta occidental rica en grasa y escasa en fibra. El cardiologo de Grenoble Michel de Lorgeril, ha dicho que aunque estos resultados son interesantes hay que tomarlos con cautela.

Toufektsian MC, de Lorgeril M, Nagy N, Salen P, Donati MB, Giordano L, Mock HP, Peterek S, Matros A, Petroni K, Pilu R, Rotilio D, Tonelli C, de Leiris J, Boucher F, Martin C. Chronic dietary intake of plant-derived anthocyanins protects the rat heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. J Nutr. 2008 Apr;138(4):747-52.Equipe PRETA-Coeur et Nutrition, TIMC-IMAG Unité Mixte de Recherche, Université Jospeh Fourier CNRS 5525, F-38000 Grenoble, France.

Consumption of flavonoid-rich foods and beverages is thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Whereas the biological activities of flavonoids have been characterized in vitro, there are no clear experimental data demonstrating that chronic dietary intake and intestinal absorption of flavonoids actually protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. We tested whether long-term consumption of specific flavonoids (anthocyanins) included in normal food could render the heart of rats more resistant to myocardial infarction. Maize kernels that differed specifically in their accumulation of anthocyanins were used to prepare rodent food in which anthocyanins were either present or absent. Male Wistar rats were fed the anthocyanin-rich (ACN-rich) or the anthocyanin-free (ACN-free) diet for a period of 8 wk. Anthocyanins were significantly absorbed and detected in the blood and urine of only rats fed the ACN-rich diet. In Langendorff preparations, the hearts of rats fed the ACN-rich diet were more resistant to regional ischemia and reperfusion insult. Moreover, on an in vivo model of coronary occlusion and reperfusion, infarct size was reduced in rats that ate the ACN-rich diet than in those that consumed the ACN-free diet (P < 0.01). Cardioprotection was associated with increased myocardial glutathione levels, suggesting that dietary anthocyanins might modulate cardiac antioxidant defenses. Our findings suggest important potential health benefits of foods rich in anthocyanins and emphasize the need to develop anthocyanin-rich functional foods with protective activities for promoting human health.