08.16.21
Flavonoids, the phytochemicals found abundantly in fruits and vegetables, may play a significant role in the prevention of markers of cognitive decline, according to a new large-scale analysis, one of the first of its kind, published in the journal Neurology.
According to the study, which utilized the follow-up health data of 49,493 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, and 27,842 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the family of phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables was linked to reductions in self-reported symptoms of cognitive decline, which were assessed in 2012 and 2014, in those who began participating in the studies in the 1980s.
Leading research suggests that flavonoids exert potent antioxidant activity within the brain which protects individuals from injury induced by neurotoxins or neuroinflammation, while also promoting beneficial effects such as memory and cognitive function.
The average age of the women at the time of self-reporting their cognitive health was 76, while the men’s average age was 73. The flavonoids evaluated in the study were measured using repeated food frequency questionnaires, which helped to measure the amount of flavonols, flavones, flavonones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, polymeric flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins.
The strongest associations with cognitive health were observed in flavones, with anthocyanins having the second-greatest dose-response curve. Many flavonoid-rich foods, including strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, citrus juices, apples, pears, celery, peppers, and bananas, were significantly associated with lower odds of self-reported cognitive decline symptoms, the authors of the study concluded.
Compared with the one-fifth of the group that had the lowest flavonoid intakes, the fifth of participants who had the highest flavonoid intakes had a 19% reduced risk of self-reporting cognitive decline symptoms later in life.
According to the study, which utilized the follow-up health data of 49,493 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, and 27,842 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the family of phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables was linked to reductions in self-reported symptoms of cognitive decline, which were assessed in 2012 and 2014, in those who began participating in the studies in the 1980s.
Leading research suggests that flavonoids exert potent antioxidant activity within the brain which protects individuals from injury induced by neurotoxins or neuroinflammation, while also promoting beneficial effects such as memory and cognitive function.
The average age of the women at the time of self-reporting their cognitive health was 76, while the men’s average age was 73. The flavonoids evaluated in the study were measured using repeated food frequency questionnaires, which helped to measure the amount of flavonols, flavones, flavonones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, polymeric flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins.
The strongest associations with cognitive health were observed in flavones, with anthocyanins having the second-greatest dose-response curve. Many flavonoid-rich foods, including strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, citrus juices, apples, pears, celery, peppers, and bananas, were significantly associated with lower odds of self-reported cognitive decline symptoms, the authors of the study concluded.
Compared with the one-fifth of the group that had the lowest flavonoid intakes, the fifth of participants who had the highest flavonoid intakes had a 19% reduced risk of self-reporting cognitive decline symptoms later in life.
