What foods to eat for mild memory loss…
Saturday, April 20, 2024.
A recent large-scale study has shed light on the critical role of flavanols in combating age-related memory decline, revealing that folks with low flavanol intake are more susceptible to memory loss as they age…
However, the study found that taking a daily flavanol supplement over 3 years effectively reversed these cognitive declines.
"Many people already get enough flavanols from a healthy diet, however those with a poorer diet will probably benefit," noted the researchers.
Flavanols, a subtype of flavonoids, are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and tea. The study participants who initially had mild flavanol deficiencies experienced a remarkable 16% improvement in cognitive function over the study period.
Professor Adam Brickman, the lead author of the study, emphasized the potential of flavanol-rich diets or supplements in enhancing cognitive function among older adults, stating, "The improvement among study participants with low-flavanol diets was substantial and raises the possibility of using flavanol-rich diets or supplements to improve cognitive function in older adults."
Professor Scott Small, a co-author of the study, has long focused on age-related memory loss and its impact on the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus crucial for memory. He noted that flavanols can enhance neuron and blood vessel growth in this region, potentially mitigating memory decline.
"The identification of nutrients critical for the proper development of an infant’s nervous system was a crowning achievement of 20th-century nutrition science," he said. "In this century, as we are living longer, research is starting to reveal that different nutrients are needed to fortify our aging minds."
How the study was conducted
The study, which included over 3,500 healthy adults, administered a daily flavanol supplement containing 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechins, a highly effective flavanol subtype. The memories of those with mild flavanol deficiencies improved by 10.5% compared to the placebo group and by 16% compared to their scores at the start of the study.
"While the study provides compelling evidence for the benefits of dietary flavanols, we cannot yet definitively conclude that low dietary intake of flavanols alone causes poor memory performance, because we did not conduct the opposite experiment: depleting flavanol in people who are not deficient," cautioned Professor Small.
In conclusion, a diet rich in flavanols plays a crucial role in maintaining cognitive function as we age. Professor Small's ongoing research aims to explore the effects of replenishing dietary flavanols in middle-aged individuals, potentially offering a preventive measure against age-related memory decline.
Incorporating pears, olive oil, wine, tomato sauce, kale, beans, tea, spinach, broccoli, apples, oranges may be beneficial for those looking to increase their flavanol intake.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
RESEARCH:
Brickman, A. M., Yeung, L., Alschuler, D. M., Ottaviani, J. I., Kuhnle, G. G., Sloan, R. P., Copeland, T., Schroeter, H., Sesso, H. D., Manson, J. E., Wall, M., & Small, S. A. (2023). Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and lower habitual flavanol consumption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(23), e2216932120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216932120
