Researchers examining nearly 4,600 American adults found that consuming larger amounts and a wider variety of naturally occurring plant compounds was associated with substantially lower mortality over an average follow-up period of 7.5 years.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A new study involving 4,596 American adults has found that people consuming the greatest quantities and variety of naturally occurring plant pigments experienced significantly lower risks of death compared with those consuming the least, suggesting that dietary diversity may play an important role in long-term health.
The research, published Nov. 3, 2026, in The Journal of Nutrition, analyzed dietary information and mortality records from participants in the nationally established Health and Retirement Study. Researchers found that adults in the highest category of dietary pigment consumption had a 37% lower relative risk of death from any cause than those in the lowest category.
Participants consuming the greatest variety of these compounds experienced a similarly reduced mortality risk of 36%, even after researchers accounted for differences in overall pigment consumption.
The findings suggest that both the amount and diversity of plant-derived compounds in a person’s diet may be associated with longevity, rather than either factor alone.
The study, titled “Higher Quantity and Diversity of Dietary Bioactive Pigments Are Associated with Lower All-Cause Mortality,” was conducted by researchers Zhiyu Huang, Kelin Zhao, Wei Chen and Yang Xu.
The investigators followed participants for an average of 7.5 years, accumulating 34,583 person-years of observation. During that period, 717 participants died.
Researchers used statistical models to examine the relationship between mortality and dietary bioactive pigments, a broad group of naturally occurring compounds found in plant-based foods. Many of these substances belong to the flavonoid family, which includes compounds associated with the colors and other chemical properties of fruits, vegetables and plant-derived beverages.
The principal dietary sources identified in the study included tea, apples, pears, berries, peaches, plums and dark chocolate.
Rather than examining only total consumption, the researchers also measured how evenly participants obtained different plant pigments from their diets. They used a statistical approach based on Shannon entropy and Hill’s effective numbers, methods designed to quantify diversity.
The analysis found that participants in the highest fifth of pigment consumption had an adjusted mortality hazard ratio of 0.63 compared with those in the lowest fifth. Those with the greatest pigment diversity had a corresponding hazard ratio of 0.64.
These figures translate into approximately 37% and 36% lower relative mortality hazards, respectively. They do not mean that an individual’s absolute likelihood of dying was reduced by those percentages.
Importantly, both associations remained statistically significant when the investigators adjusted pigment quantity and diversity for one another. This indicates that consuming a wider assortment of pigment-rich foods was associated with lower mortality independently of the total amount consumed.
The investigators also examined specific categories of plant compounds and identified proanthocyanidins as a group associated with lower mortality.
Proanthocyanidins are naturally occurring polyphenols found in foods including berries, apples, grapes, cocoa and certain nuts. They belong to a broader family of plant compounds studied for their antioxidant properties and potential effects on inflammation and cardiovascular function.
Flavonoids encompass several other subclasses, including anthocyanidins, flavonols, flavones, flavanones and flavan-3-ols. Different plant foods contain different combinations and concentrations of these compounds.
Berries, for example, are notable sources of anthocyanins, which contribute to their red, blue and purple coloration. Apples and pears supply several types of flavonoids, while tea provides flavan-3-ols and other polyphenols. Cocoa products, including dark chocolate, contain compounds from related chemical families.
The findings reinforce previous research suggesting that dietary variety may be associated with improved long-term health outcomes.
A separate study published in Nature Food in June 2025 examined 124,805 participants in the UK Biobank and found that people consuming a wider diversity of flavonoid-rich foods had a 6% to 20% lower risk of death or developing several major chronic diseases.
Those conditions included cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease and neurodegenerative disorders.
The 2025 research also found that both greater flavonoid intake and increased diversity independently predicted more favorable health outcomes, supporting the possibility that regularly consuming several different types of plant foods may offer advantages beyond simply increasing the amount of one particular food.
Similarly, a 2024 study of American adults published in The Journal of Nutrition found that berry consumption and higher flavonoid intake were associated with reduced overall mortality.
That analysis reported a 21% lower relative risk of death among berry consumers compared with nonconsumers, with associations also observed for strawberries, blueberries and cranberries.
Despite the consistent associations, the latest study does not establish that dietary pigments directly prevent death or extend lifespan.
The research was observational, meaning investigators analyzed participants’ reported dietary habits and subsequent health outcomes rather than randomly assigning individuals to different diets.
Although statistical adjustments can account for numerous differences between participants, other factors, including overall diet quality, physical activity, socioeconomic circumstances and existing medical conditions, may influence mortality outcomes.
Consequently, the findings cannot determine whether the plant pigments themselves produced the lower mortality risks or whether they served partly as indicators of broader dietary and lifestyle patterns.
The results also do not establish an optimal daily intake of flavonoids or demonstrate that concentrated supplements provide the same associations as consuming pigment-rich foods.
Nevertheless, the study adds to a growing body of research examining how the chemical diversity of plant-based diets relates to human health.
Its central finding is that both greater consumption and greater variety of dietary bioactive pigments were independently associated with lower mortality among the American adults studied.
The researchers concluded that assessing dietary diversity alongside total intake may provide a more complete understanding of how plant-derived compounds are associated with long-term health and survival.
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