A new study shows that eating more flavonols, found in vegetables, fruits and wine helps improve memory loss.
“It’s exciting that our study shows making specific diet choices may lead to a slower rate of cognitive decline,”
“Something as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea is an easy way for people to take an active role in maintaining their brain health.” said study author Dr. Thomas Holland, an instructor in the department of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, in a statement.
The new study asked 961 people with an average age of 81 and no signs of dementia to fill out a food questionnaire each year for seven years, undergoing cognitive and memory tests every year.
The study divided the participants into groups of five with different amounts of flavonol intake, lowest intake was about 5 milligrams a day: the highest 15 milligrams a day.
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The flavonol intake included kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin and isorhamnetin.
Kaempferol had the greatest impact, followed by myricetin, whereas isorhamnetin had no impact.
“But they are also a marker of higher intake of fruits and vegetables — which is good for the brain because it is good for every vital organ, and the organism as a whole,”
“They may also be a marker of better overall diet quality, or even greater health consciousness. People who are more health conscious may do things to preserve their cognition, or maybe being more health conscious is a by-product of better cognition.” Said Dr Katz a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine and nutrition who was not involved in the study.
It’s not known whether these benefits are long term, the institute said, and no clear impact has been shown for cancer prevention or cognitive protection.
Tea, wine, fruits, and vegetables are the primary dietary sources of flavonols especially in the eastern and western societies.