What Does Quercetin Do?

Quercetin belongs to a group of plant pigments known as flavonoids. Flavonoids are responsible for giving fruits, vegetables and flowers their characteristic colors. Quercetin can be found in such foods as onions, apples, and green and black teas and in lower concentrations in other fruits and vegetables. Because quercetin is a powerful antioxidant, it has been added to the weight loss supplement Irvingia to provide maximum health and weight loss benefits to patients. But what exactly does quercetin do?

Quercetin acts as an antihistamine and also carries anti-inflammatory properties. That means that quercetin reduces allergy symptoms, while also relieving inflammation. This is especially useful in those who suffer from arthritis or joint pain. But that’s not all the quercetin can do.

One of the main purposes for why it’s added to such weight supplements as Irvingia is because it is a powerful antioxidant. Quercetin helps to clean out the body, eliminating it from free radicals and damaging particles. These harmful substances get into our bodies from such factors as pollution and smoke, as well as are created in the body. The chemicals damage cells, causing serious medical illnesses, disease and cancer. Quercetin helps to neutralize the free radicals, as well as prevent further damage from occurring.

Quercetin also protects against damage done to the arteries by having high LDL (bad) cholesterol. What the quercetin does is reduces the plaque on the arteries causes by LDL cholesterol. This protection helps people from suffering from heart disease in the future.

Since quercetin acts as an antihistamine, it also fights against allergies and asthma. Quercetin works by slowing down the production of histamine and other allergy-inducing substances. It helps fight arthritis by reducing inflammation in the joints and people with rheumatoid arthritis have reported noticeable differences by eating a diet rich in flavonoids, including quercetin.

Finally, quercetin has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. Quercetin improves prostate health because it reduces the amount of inflammation in the prostate. Furthermore, studies that look at prostate cancer and breast cancer have found that quercetin prevents the growth of these cells in test tubes.