Flavonols are a group of flavonoids including quercetin and kaempferol. In a wider context they form part of the polyphenol group of phytochemicals. Like most polyphenols, flavonols act as antioxidants and this may explain the mechanism of action. Further evidence for this antioxidant activity comes from the fact that the diseases they can help prevent and treat, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, are thought to be caused primarily by the generation of free radicals. Treatment of anxiety with flavonols has been evidenced, but their activity may be related to the way they are administered. For example, oral administration of flavonols confers anxiolytic activity, but administration of the compounds to the blood does not. This may relate to the fact that flavonols are metabolised in the gut to active compounds by bacteria. Antibiotic treatment to kill the gut bacteria causes an attenuation of the anxiolytic effects of flavonols further suggesting that the metabolism of flavonols in the gut is a necessary step in their bioactivity.
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