A diet high in flavonols — beneficial components with anti-inflammatory properties, which are found in may different plant foods — may help promote brain function and slow the rate of cognitive decline, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.
Flavonols belong to a larger group of food components known as flavonoids, which are widely recognized as beneficial in several different areas of health. Consuming foods high in flavonoids has been linked to changes in the gut microbiome — the bacteria and other organisms, beneficial or not, that live in your digestive system — in a way that may help lower your blood pressure, although most of the effect of flavonoids on blood pressure is presumably due to their general anti-inflammatory properties. Foods and beverages that are especially high in flavonoids include berries, dark chocolate, red wine, tea, apples, pears, onions, kale, and cabbage. The narrower category of flavanols — that’s with an “A” in the middle, rather than an “O” in the middle of the word — may help improve blood vessel health in response to stress, according to a study involving a cocoa-based beverage consumed by young adults.
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For the latest study, researchers looked at the effect of consuming flavonols on cognitive performance in a group of 961 participants between 60 and 100 years old. These participants were all Chicago residents who didn’t live in any type of assisted living facility, and were followed for an average of 6.9 years as part of the study. Participants’ diets were assessed using a detailed food frequency questionnaire, and their cognitive performance was measured once each year using 19 different standardized tests. The researchers used dietary questionnaire responses to estimate participants’ flavonol intake, which was adjusted for total calories consumed. In other words, consuming more food overall — with the same proportion of flavonols — was not considered to mean a higher flavonol intake.
Higher flavonol consumption linked to slower cognitive decline
The researchers found that a higher intake of flavonols was linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline — both overall and in specific areas of cognition — after adjusting for several factors known to affect cognitive decline, including participants’ age, sex, education level, physical activity, and smoking status. Specific areas in which cognitive decline was reduced in people who consumed more flavonols included different types of memory (episodic, semantic, and working) and perceptual speed (how quickly observations are made). Two different types of flavonols — known as kaempferol and quercetin — were linked to slower overall cognitive decline, while two other flavonols were not.
As noted in an article on the study at HealthDay, foods that were found to contribute the most to slower cognitive decline in the study included kale, beans, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, tea, wine, and oranges. Of course, flavonols aren’t the only beneficial nutrients found in these and other foods — so it’s important to include a wide range of health plant foods in your diet to help optimize your cognitive and overall health.
Want to learn more about eating well with diabetes? Read “Strategies for Healthy Eating,” “Improving Your Recipes: One Step at a Time,” and “What Is the Best Diet for Diabetes?”