Quercetin Dihydrate

Quercetin Dihydrate

Quercetin is a type of bioflavonoid (plant pigment) and is a potent antioxidant. It plays an important part in neutralizing free radical damage, and slowing down the signs of aging. While you can get copious amounts of quercetin from red wine, ginkgo biloba, grapefruit, apples, onions, tea, and buckwheat, some also take quercetin supplements for their strong anti-inflammatory effects. When looking for quercetin supplements, quercetin dihydrate is the most effective and best absorbed by the body.

Benefits of Quercetin Dihydrate

Of the many bioflavinoids in the planet, quercetin is one of the most well studied because it offers a wide array of health benefits:

Prevents Various Neurological Disorders

Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are the most common neurological disorders among the older population. In both of these diseases, inflammation is an exacerbating factor. Interestingly, studies suggest that quercetin appears to have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain even at low concentrations.^[1-2]  

Helps Lower High Blood Pressure

In patients with stage I hypertension who received 730 mg quercetin in two divided doses over a month, supplementation was associated with significant reductions in blood pressure.^[3] However, this effect did not occur in non-hypertensive patients.

Improves Exercise Endurance

Quercetin intake can help boost the exercise endurance of pro athletes and amateurs alike.  One study using 300 mg quercetin has noted significant improvements in exercise performance and power output of trained cyclists.^[4]  When this study is replicated using 500 mg quercetin given two times a day in trained cyclists, researchers observed a significant improvement in maximal oxygen uptake and time to fatigue on a cycling test after one week.^[5]

Fights Allergies

Histamine is a compound secreted by cells in response to injury or allergic reactions, causing unpleasant symptoms such as rashes, swollen skin, runny nose, watery eyes, indigestion, and breathing difficulties. Severe cases of allergic reactions can even lead to death. The good news is that quercetin can help combat allergies by stabilizing the release of histamines from certain immune cells. In fact, studies show that quercetin can be in par with anti-histamine medications at fighting allergies.^[6]

Helps Relieve Pain

Cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to inflammatory pain. Researchers believe that quercetin exerts its pain-relieving effect by inhibiting the production of ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokines.^[7]  

Prevents Cancer

Quercetin supplementation is considered a safe approach in slowing the progression of cancer. A large body of high quality research shows that quercetin can inhibit cancer cell cycle progression^[8] by interacting with receptors involved in the development of cancers.^[9-10] Other studies suggest that quercetin can eradicate cancer cells by inducing cell cycle arrest.^[11]

Maintains a Healthy Skin

Since quercetin is capable of blocking immune cells that trigger inflammatory disease and autoimmune disease,^[12] it may help protect the skin from the effects of dermatitis (skin inflammation) and light sensitivity.

References:

1. Kwon YS, et al. Modulation of suppressive activity of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production by glycosidation of flavonoids. Arch Pharm Res. (2004)
2. Bureau G, Longpré F, Martinoli MG. Resveratrol and quercetin, two natural polyphenols, reduce apoptotic neuronal cell death induced by neuroinflammation. J Neurosci Res. (2008).
3. Edwards RL, Lyon T, Litwin SE, Rabovsky A, Symons JD, Jalili T. Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. J Nutr. 2007;137(11):2405-11.
4. Macrae HS, Mefferd KM. Dietary antioxidant supplementation combined with quercetin improves cycling time trial performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006;16(4):405-19.
5. Davis JM, et al. The dietary flavonoid quercetin increases VO (2max) and endurance capacity. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. (2010).
6. Chirumbolo S. Quercetin as a potential anti-allergic drug: which perspectives? Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2011;10(2):139-40.
7. Valério DA, Georgetti SR, Magro DA, et al. Quercetin reduces inflammatory pain: inhibition of oxidative stress and cytokine production. J Nat Prod. 2009;72(11):1975-9.
8. Jeong J-H, An JY, Kwon YT, Rhee JG, Lee YJ. Effects of low dose quercetin: Cancer cell-specific inhibition of cell cycle progression. Journal of cellular biochemistry. 2009;106(1):73-82. doi:10.1002/jcb.21977.
9. Murakami A, Ashida H, Terao J. Multitargeted cancer prevention by quercetin. Cancer Lett. 2008;269(2):315-25.
10. Park CH, Chang JY, Hahm ER, Park S, Kim HK, Yang CH. Quercetin, a potent inhibitor against beta-catenin/Tcf signaling in SW480 colon cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005;328(1):227-34.
11. Vidya priyadarsini R, Senthil murugan R, Maitreyi S, Ramalingam K, Karunagaran D, Nagini S. The flavonoid quercetin induces cell cycle arrest and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells through p53 induction and NF-κB inhibition. Eur J Pharmacol. 2010;649(1-3):84-91.
12. Weng Z, Zhang B, Asadi S, et al. Quercetin is more effective than cromolyn in blocking human mast cell cytokine release and inhibits contact dermatitis and photosensitivity in humans. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(3):e33805.