Making small shifts in what you eat can make a lasting difference, say researchers who tracked diet and long-term health outcomes.
Even if you’re not actively concerned about lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol, following guidelines for a heart-healthy diet can be a wise choice for overall wellness and longevity. The American Heart Association has encouraged eating whole grains, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and healthy sources of protein—along with minimizing the consumption of ultra-processed foods. But if you’ve ever wanted a cheat sheet of sorts, new research has uncovered more evidence of the best food and drink choices to protect your heart.
In November 2025, nutritional science and genetic epidemiology researchers at King’s College London published a study in the journal BMC Medicine that suggests that regularly consuming foods and drinks rich in polyphenols—natural antioxidant compounds found in plant-based foods—may be an easy, everyday way to support long-term heart health.
The researchers tracked the diets, blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiovascular risk profiles of 3,110 adults in the United Kingdom for 11 years. They also monitored the levels of certain metabolites (produced substances when the body is digesting, or metabolizing) in the study participants’ urine to track their dietary polyphenol intake. The team developed a polyphenol dietary score (PPS) that quantified the intake of 20 polyphenol-rich foods and beverages and compared those scores with measures of heart disease risk.
The study found that as polyphenol metabolites rose, blood pressure and cholesterol improved—which in turn signified a lower risk for cardiovascular disease. “Our findings show that long-term adherence to polyphenol-rich diets can substantially slow the rise in cardiovascular risk as people age,” explained study senior author Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, PhD, professor of human nutrition at Kings College London.
Some of the polyphenol-rich foods that were included in the study were:
- Tea
- Coffee
- Berries
- Cocoa
- Nuts
- Whole grains
- Olive oil
Specifically, benefits were derived from two types of polyphenols: flavonoids, which are compounds that are credited with giving fruits their vibrant colors, and phenolic acids, antioxidant compounds found in beverages like coffee and tea.
According to the authors, these foods often work in tandem with other factors in a healthy diet to help promote cardiovascular health. And you don’t need to completely overhaul your diet to reap their beneficial effects, says Dr. Rodriguez-Mateos: “Even small, sustained shifts towards foods like berries, tea, coffee, nuts, and whole grains may help protect the heart over time.”
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