In this post, we’ll discuss what is kaempferol, some of the latest research related to kaempferol and health, and rank kaempferol rich foods including the top 10 kaempferol rich vegetables and the top 10 kaempferol rich fruits.
Foods are more than just calories, fats, proteins, and carbs.
They’re even more than calories, fats, proteins, carbs, vitamins and minerals.
Phytochemicals is a term often used to describe the myriad compounds present in plants that we consume that are not well characterized or grouped into other established dietary categories.
Polyphenolic compounds are an increasingly researched class of phytochemicals, and kaempferol is one such compound.
And while health organizations don’t yet provide any statements regarding the consensus on health effects of these compounds or provide a recommended dietary intake value, many individuals are looking for kaempferol rich foods to add to their diets to improve their health.
Kaempferol and Health
Kaempferol is a polyphenol found in relatively larger concentrations in certain plants.
Kaempferol is flavonoid, a class of polyphenols that also includes compounds such as Isorhamnetin, Quercetin, and Myricetin.
Polyphenols have shown promise as a chemo-protective. In other words, epidemiological studies have shown that polyphenols may help reduce your risk of developing cancer.
Kaempferol is no different. Kaempferol has shown chemopreventative characteristics through various in vitro mechanisms like free-radical scavenging, cancer-cell death, and its involvement in various anti-tumor cell-signaling pathways.
Epidemiological studies also show an inverse association between increased kaempferol intake and cancer. In other words, the more kaempferol individuals consume, the less their risk of developing cancer.
And in addition to potentially helping fend off cancer, kaempferol has shown promise for reducing inflammation, a condition association with a range of chronic health conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
So although more research needs to determine what, if any, are the true merits of this particular flavonoid, kaempferol has shown great promise as a natural compound found in a variety of healthy foods that may help combat several of the major chronic diseases we face today.
Kaempferol Rich Foods
Kaempferol rich foods are primarily vegetables. However, some fruits also contain kaempferol, too.
Using the USDA Food Database, we have compiled data from all the fruits and vegetables that contain information about polyphenol concentration.
We ranked all 63 foods by kaempferol density. In other words, the foods with the highest concentration of kaempferol per calorie are shown below ranked as the orange shaded portion.
We also include the kaempferol content as mg/100g, shown as green bars for vegetables, blue bars for fruits, and orange bars for nuts.
See a snapshot of our analysis below, or feel free to use our interactive chart ranking kaempferol rich foods, here!
Kaempferol Rich Vegetables
Vegetables contain most of the kaempferol-dense foods.
In fact, the top 25 most kaempferol-dense foods are all vegetables.
Here are the top 10 most kaempferol-dense vegetables.
Kaempferol Rich Fruits
Some fruits also contain kaempferol. The USDA Food Database contains information for 15 kaempferol-containing fruits (out of around 75).
Here are the top 10 most kaempferol-dense fruits.
Kaempferol in Food for Health
Kaempferol is becoming an exciting nutritional compound with promise for reducing the risks of developing certain types of cancer and inflammatory-based diseases.
Like quercetin, kaempferol is an exciting polyphenolic compound that you should be watching for new health-related research.