What happens when you take quercetin?

Quercetin is the most abundant dietary flavonoid. It's been linked to improved exercise performance and reduced inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Plus, it may have brain-protective, anti-allergy, and anticancer properties. Though its benefits seem promising, more human research is needed.

healthline.com - What Is Quercetin? Benefits, Foods, Dosage, and Side Effects - Healthline

How can I drop 10 pounds?

Here are 14 simple steps to drop 10 pounds in a single month. Try cardio for weight loss. ... Eat fewer refined carbs. ... Start counting calories....

Last updated Apr 5, 2018

How to burn calories in bed?

15 Ways to Burn Calories in the Bedroom Do a Closet Slim-down. Clean Under Your Bed. Do Some Simple Yoga Moves. Get Reading! Write a To-do List....

Last updated May 15, 2018

Fizzy juice “eats through” 59lbs of stubborn fat

This effective juice jolts the metabolism, boosts energy and burns fat all day.

Learn More »

Promotion

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

How we vet brands and products

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

In addition, its antioxidant properties may help reduce:

It’s one of the most abundant antioxidants in the diet and plays an important role in helping your body combat free radical damage, which is linked to chronic diseases.

Quercetin is a natural pigment present in many:

It can also be purchased as a dietary supplement for a variety of uses. Quercetin is a plant pigment with potent antioxidant properties. It’s present in many common foods, such as onions, apples, grapes, and berries.

People take this supplement for several reasons, including to:

It’s also available as a dietary supplement in powder and capsule form.

Foods that commonly contain quercetin include onions, apples, grapes, berries, broccoli, citrus fruits, cherries , green tea, coffee, red wine, and capers ( 5 ). Quercetin is the most abundant flavonoid in the diet. It’s estimated that the average person consumes 10–100 mg of it daily through various food sources ( 5 ). Damage caused by free radicals has been linked to numerous chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes ( 4 ). Free radicals are unstable molecules that may cause cellular damage when their levels become too high.

Antioxidants are compounds that can bind to and neutralize free radicals.

The beneficial effects of flavonoids like quercetin come from their ability to function as antioxidants inside your body ( 3 ). They’ve been linked to several health benefits, including reduced risks of heart disease, cancer, and degenerative brain disorders ( 1 , 2 ). Quercetin is a pigment that belongs to a group of plant compounds called flavonoids.

Research has linked quercetin’s antioxidant properties to various potential health benefits.

Here are some of its top science-based benefits.

May reduce inflammation

Free radicals may do more than simply damage your cells.

Research shows that high levels of free radicals may help activate genes that promote inflammation. Thus, high levels of free radicals may lead to an increased inflammatory response ( 3 ). While a little inflammation is necessary to help your body heal and fight infections, persistent inflammation is linked to health problems, including certain cancers, as well as heart and kidney diseases ( 6 ).

Is V8 a healthy drink?

Technically, there are 2 servings of vegetables in 8 oz of original V8. However, while a juice can be a good source of vitamins, it does not...

Last updated Dec 1, 2022

Does beet powder detox your body?

Beetroot powder contains the amino acid betaine which prevents and breaks down any fat buildup in the liver. The vegetable also increases natural...

Last updated May 24, 2018

Tasty juice “eats through” 54lbs of thick flab

This effective juice jolts the metabolism, boosts energy and burns fat all day.

Learn More »

Promotion

Studies show that quercetin may help reduce inflammation.

In test-tube studies, quercetin reduced markers of inflammation in human cells, including the molecules tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) ( 7 , 8 ). An 8-week study in 50 women with rheumatoid arthritis observed that participants who took 500 mg of quercetin experienced significantly reduced early morning stiffness, morning pain, and after-activity pain ( 9 ). They also had reduced markers of inflammation, such as TNFα, compared to those who received a placebo ( 9 ). While these findings are promising, more human research is needed to understand the compound’s potential anti-inflammatory properties.

May ease allergy symptoms

Quercetin’s potential anti-inflammatory properties may provide allergy symptom relief.

Test-tube and animal studies found that it may block enzymes involved in inflammation and suppress inflammation-promoting chemicals, such as histamine ( 10 , 11 , 12 ). For example, one study showed that taking quercetin supplements suppressed peanut-related anaphylactic reactions in mice ( 13 ). Still, it’s unclear whether the compound has the same effect on allergies in humans, so more research is needed before it can be recommended as an alternative treatment.

May have anticancer effects

Because quercetin has antioxidant properties, it may have cancer-fighting properties ( 14 ). In a review of test-tube and animal studies, quercetin was found to suppress cell growth and induce cell death in prostate cancer cells (15). Other test-tube and animal studies observed that the compound had similar effects in liver, lung, breast, bladder, blood, colon, ovarian, lymphoid, and adrenal cancer cells ( 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ). Though these findings are promising, human studies are needed before quercetin can be recommended as an alternative treatment for cancer.

May lower your risk of chronic brain disorders

Research suggests that quercetin’s antioxidant properties may help protect against degenerative brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia ( 20 ). In one study, mice with Alzheimer’s disease received quercetin injections every 2 days for 3 months. By the end of the study, the injections had reversed several markers of Alzheimer’s, and the mice performed much better on learning tests ( 21 ). In another study, a quercetin-rich diet reduced markers of Alzheimer’s disease and improved brain function in mice at the early middle stage of the condition. However, the diet had little to no effect on animals with middle-late stage Alzheimer’s ( 22 ).

How can I lose 5 kg in 10 days?

Top 10 tips to reboot your body and kick start weight loss Start Your Day With A Workout. Set up your alarm 20 minutes early and schedule your...

Last updated Jul 26, 2022

What fruits should be avoided for weight loss?

Worst Fruit for Weight Loss Bananas. Bananas are a great replacement for a pre-workout energy bar which is why you often see professional tennis...

Last updated Nov 17, 2019

Traditional “juice” activates 24/7 fat-burning

A potent powdered supplement blended right into water or your favored beverage to be appreciated as a scrumptious morning smoothy.

Learn More »

Promotion

Coffee is a popular beverage that has been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, research shows that quercetin, not caffeine, is the primary compound in coffee that’s responsible for its potential protective effects against this illness ( 23 ).

Though these findings are promising, more research in humans is needed.

May reduce blood pressure

High blood pressure affects 1 in 3 American adults. It raises your risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States (24). Research suggests that quercetin may help reduce blood pressure levels. In test-tube studies, the compound appeared to have a relaxing effect on blood vessels ( 25 , 26 ). When mice with high blood pressure were given quercetin daily for 5 weeks, their systolic and diastolic blood pressure values (the upper and lower numbers) decreased by an average of 18% and 23%, respectively ( 27 ). Similarly, a review of 9 human studies in 580 people found that taking more than 500 mg of quercetin in supplement form daily reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 5.8 mm Hg and 2.6 mm Hg, respectively ( 28 ). Although these findings are promising, more human studies are needed to determine whether the compound could be an alternative therapy for high blood pressure levels.

Other potential benefits

Here are several other potential benefits of quercetin:

May help combat aging. Test-tube and animal research suggests that quercetin may help rejuvenate or eliminate aging cells and reduce markers of aging. However, more human research is needed ( 29 , 30 , 31 ). Test-tube and animal research suggests that quercetin may help rejuvenate or eliminate aging cells and reduce markers of aging. However, more human research is needed ( , , ). May aid exercise performance. A review of 11 human studies found that taking quercetin may slightly improve endurance exercise performance ( 32 ). A review of 11 human studies found that taking quercetin may slightly improve endurance exercise performance ( ). May aid blood sugar control. Human and animal research indicates that the compound may reduce fasting blood sugar levels and protect against complications of diabetes ( 33 , 34 , 35 ).

healthline.com - What Is Quercetin? Benefits, Foods, Dosage, and Side Effects - Healthline