A new study suggests that foods rich in flavonols, such as green tea, apples and berries, can help reverse memory loss.
According to research, insufficient intake of flavanols can affect brain function and cause memory loss.
Flavonols are found in leafy greens, black currants, onions, apples, plums, cherries, peaches, soybeans, citrus foods, tea, chocolate, lettuce, black pepper, grapes, and even wine.
Research – published in journal PNAS – found that those over 60 years of age, who were already consuming a lot of flavonol, did not report any additional benefits. The deficient, however, saw an average 16 percent improvement in memory over a year when they replenished themselves with these important compounds.
Dr. Adam Berkman, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University, said: “The improvement in study participants on a low-flavanol diet was substantial, raising the possibility of using flavanol-rich foods or supplements to improve cognitive function in older adults. go.”
The researchers believe that this finding supports the idea that the aging brain needs specific nutrients to function well, just as the developing brain of children needs specific nutrients for proper development. Ingredients are required.
In the study, participants were asked to take a daily flavanol supplement pill — equivalent to a daily intake of 500mg for adults — or a placebo pill for three years.
Memory improvement
In the study, participants were asked to complete a survey that assessed their food intake and perform some web-based activities in their own homes, to determine their short-term memory. These were repeated after one, two and three years.
The study found that after one year, participants who were taking flavanol supplements with a poor diet had lower baseline levels of flavanols, and their memory scores increased by an average of 10.5 percent, compared to those taking a placebo pill. compared to, and compared to 16 percent. on their recall at baseline.
The improvement continued for at least two years.
Commenting on the research, Professor Aidan Cassidy, Chair of Nutrition and Preventive Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “This is a really important study which shows that [a] Dietary flavonoids, called flavonoids found in tea, cocoa, apples and berries, are key to improving memory in the aging brain.”
“Supplementation with flavanols reduced memory loss in participants who had a low-quality diet after one year of eating and this was maintained over a three-year intervention period.”
“So while habitual diets may not be as healthy as they could be, we now have evidence that simple dietary increases like flavanols can help maintain brain health as we age. “
The team also maintained that they can’t definitively conclude that low doses of flavanols alone cause poor memory performance because they didn’t do an experiment where they removed the flavanols to see if it did. Memory is damaged.
The researchers plan to conduct clinical trials in which they restore flavanol levels in adults with severe flavanol deficiency to see if this improves memory.