Scientists from Harvard University 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 also looked at several types of flavonoids and found that flavones and anthocyanins may have the most protective effect.
The research is published in Neurology and was conducted by Walter Willett et al.
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.
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.
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 researchers 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.
The team 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 linked to a 24% reduced risk of cognitive decline.
Blueberries have about 164 mg of anthocyanins per 100-gram serving.
The people in the study who did the best over time ate an average of at least half a serving per day of foods like orange juice, oranges, peppers, celery, grapefruits, grapefruit juice, apples, and pears.
The team says while it is possible other phytochemicals are at work here, a colorful diet rich in flavonoids—and specifically flavones and anthocyanins—seems to be a good bet for promoting long-term brain health.
If you care about brain health, please read studies that vitamin D may help slow down cognitive decline, and some common exercises could protect against cognitive impairment.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about food that could lead to better cognition in older people, and results showing this common food oil in the U.S. can change genes in the brain.
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