If you ever needed another reason to eat your fruits and vegetables, the most recent study from the American Academy of Neurology gives us yet another reason we should make vegetables, fruits, and tea a top dietary resolution.
Memory loss can be a normal part of the aging process, but it can swing into extreme decline when high levels of inflammation and other risk factors are present. One of the most important way to combat memory decline and preserve memory while aging is related to diet, specifically a diet high in flavonols. Flavonols belong to the group of flavonoids which are found in plants and are responsible for the pigments we see in fruits and vegetables.
Flavonols Combat Cognitive Decline
The Flavonols may hold the key when it comes to fighting age-related cognitive declines. Average US adult flavonol intake: 16-20 mg/day; study participants mostly consumed 5-15 mg/day (approx. one cup green leafy vegetables).
Key food flavonols: quercetin (apples, tea, tomatoes, kale), isorhamnetin (olive oil, tomato sauce, pears), kaempferol (broccoli, spinach, tea, beans), myricetin (oranges, tomatoes).
Senior Adults’ Flavonol Impact
Study followed 900 older people (average age 81) for 7 years, involving annual food surveys, memory tests, and mental/physical exercise reports. Participants categorized by flavonol intake, scored on cognitive ability ranging from positive (no decline) to negative (significant decline).
Highest flavonol consumers slowed memory decline by 0.4 units per decade. Higher quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol intake correlates with significant memory loss reduction per decade. Flavonols’ antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties contribute to brain health, making this diet effective.
Further Reading
Thomas Monroe Holland, Puja Agarwal, Yamin Wang, et al. Association of Dietary Intake of Flavonols With Changes in Global Cognition and Several Cognitive Abilities. Neurology, 2022; 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201541 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201541
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