Bioflavonoids are water-soluble nutrients that act as co-factors with vitamin C and commonly occur in the same food sources. Like vitamin C, bioflavonoids were discovered by Albert Szent-Gyorgi in the 1930s. The most well-known bioflavonoids include catechin, citrin, flavonals, flavones, hesperidin, quercitin, and rutin. Together, they are sometimes referred to as vitamin P due to their ability to increase permeability factor, meaning they enhance the ability of other nutrients, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to pass through capillary walls. Their other main function lies in increasing capillary strength and integrity, thereby helping to prevent them from hemorrhaging. Bioflavonoids also improve the body's absorption of vitamin C, and therefore play a role in the formation and maintenance of collagen.
The best food sources of bioflavonoids are the same as those for vitamin C. Bioflavonoid deficiency is rare, although a lack of this nutrient group can diminish the body's ability to utilize vitamin C, thus contributing to increased bruising and slower wound healing.
