If you are looking for a dietary supplement which offers substantial health benefits and little in terms of possible negative side effects, then a quercetin supplement might be just what you are looking for to add to your health routine. Quercetin is a flavonoid, which is a plant based phytochemical. It can be found in a wide variety of different foods, such as apples, onions, berries and red wine. This phytochemical is responsible for adding color to many of those foods. While anyone can eat a diet rich in quercetin heavy foods, larger levels of quercetin can come from adding quercetin dietary supplements to your daily routine.
Quercetin has many health benefits because it has anti-inflammatory properties, anti-oxidant properties and antihistamine properties. In some studies, quercetin supplements have been shown to be effective in combating allergy symptoms, such as with hay fever. The flavonoid has also shown success against the common cold, the flu and similar immune deficiency illnesses.
The anti-oxidant properties of quercetin have exhibited some success in preventing free radical damage. In fact, a recent study concluded that quercetin can inhibit cancerous cell growth in cancers such as prostate cancer.
The anti-inflammatory properties present in quercetin are effective in reducing joint pain in arthritis sufferers, including rheumatoid arthritis.
In overweight people who have a high cardiovascular disease risk, quercetin supplements have shown promise in reducing this risk. In the study, the group of overweight participants was given a 150 mg dose of quercetin three times a day. The result was lower blood pressure in the group and less damage from LDL cholesterol in the participants. Since plaque buildup in the heart is a result of LDL cholesterol, the quercetin significantly reduced damage to the heart in these participants.
In men suffering from prostatitis, which causes inflammation of the prostate, taking quercetin supplements reduced the pain and swelling the men were experiencing. Just like with arthritis, this is attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of the quercetin supplements.
Quercetin dietary supplements are available in pill form, both capsules and tablets, and range in size from 100 mg up to 500 mg. The needed dosage amount varies by individual and depends on reason for supplement usage. If adding the supplement to your daily vitamin routine, a lower dosage is needed than if you are taking the supplement to target a specific health problem, such as high cholesterol or allergy problems. Additionally, children under the age of 15 years old should only consume half of the recommend adult dosage. The maximum about of quercetin that should be taken in a single day is 1,000 mg. Consulting with your primary care physician is a good way to determine the best quercetin supplement dosage to meet your individual needs. While the primary side effect is just increased energy levels, high quercetin supplement usage can result in more dangerous complications, such as kidney damage. Any such complications should be immediately reported to your doctor and supplement usage stopped until you are checked out by a doctor.
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