Drinking a cup of tea or eating a handful of berries a day may help protect against heart disease, a new study suggests.

The new research from the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions annual meeting, found that daily consumption of small amounts of flavonoids — compounds found in berries, tea, chocolate, wine and many other fruits and plants — was associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

Previous research has also found a link between flavonoids and heart disease risk.

But the new study — one of the largest done to date — adds stronger evidence to the idea that flavonoids may protect the heart.

The researchers found that people who reported eating around 500 milligrams or more of flavonoids daily had a lower risk of developing ischemic heart disease (where the heart's major blood vessels are narrowed, reducing blood flow to the heart), stroke and peripheral artery disease (where blood vessels in the body are narrowed, reducing blood flow throughout the body).