In a new study from Harvard University, researchers found that people who eat a diet that includes at least half a serving per day of foods high in flavonoids like strawberries, oranges, peppers and apples may have a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline.
They looked at several types of flavonoids, and found that flavones and anthocyanins may have the most protective effect.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in plants and are considered powerful antioxidants. It is thought that having too few antioxidants may play a role in cognitive decline as you age.
There is mounting evidence suggesting flavonoids are powerhouses when it comes to preventing people’s thinking skills from declining as they get older.
In the study, the team looked at 49,493 women with an average age of 48 and 27,842 men with an average age of 51 at the start of the study.
Over 20 years of follow-up, people completed several questionnaires about how often they ate various foods.
Their intake of different types of flavonoids was calculated by multiplying the flavonoid content of each food by its frequency. Study participants evaluated their own cognitive abilities twice during the study.
The people in the group that represented the highest 20% of flavonoid consumers, on average, had about 600 milligrams (mg) in their diets each day, compared to the people in the lowest 20% of flavonoid consumers, who had about 150 mg in their diets each day.
Strawberries, for example, have about 180 mg of flavonoids per 100-gram serving, while apples have about 113.
The team found people who consumed more flavonoids in their diets reported a lower risk of cognitive decline.
The group of highest flavonoid consumers had 20% less risk of self-reported cognitive decline than the people in the lowest group.
Researchers also looked at individual flavonoids. Flavones, found in some spices and yellow or orange fruits and vegetables, had the strongest protective qualities and were linked to a 38% reduction in risk of cognitive decline, which is the equivalent of being three to four years younger in age.
Peppers have about 5 mg of flavones per 100-gram serving. Anthocyanins, found in blueberries, blackberries and cherries, were associated with a 24% reduced risk of cognitive decline. Blueberries have about 164 mg of anthocyanins per 100-gram serving.
The researchers say that a colorful diet rich in flavonoids—and specifically flavones and anthocyanins—seems to be a good bet for promoting long-term brain health.
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For more information about dementia and cognitive decline, please see recent studies about Walnuts may slow cognitive decline in many older people and results showing two big risk factors for cognitive decline.
The study is published in Neurology. One author of the study is Walter Willett, MD, DrPH.
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