Flavonols in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, apples and berries were linked to slower decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities with older age in a study at Rush University. Learn more.
New research at RUSH continues to build off a legacy of work examining the association between cognition and Alzheimer’s dementia and flavonoids.
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The findings of the study, published on Nov. 22 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggest dietary intake of total flavonols and several flavonol constituents may be associated with slower decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities with older age. Foods containing flavonols include leafy vegetables, apples, broccoli and berries.
What researchers learned
The study was conducted using 961 participants of the RUSH Memory and Aging Project — ages 60 to 100 — and followed a cohort of Chicagoans for an average of 6.9 years.The diet of participants was assessed on an ongoing basis, along with an annual cognitive performance evaluation consisting of 19 standardized tests.
Researchers concluded that higher dietary intake of total flavonols and flavonol constituents was associated with a slower rate of decline in global cognition and multiple cognitive abilities.
Simple diet tweaks improve brain health
“It’s exciting that our study shows making specific diet choices may lead to a slower rate of cognitive decline,” Dr. Thomas Holland, an assistant professor in the RUSH Institute for Healthy Aging in the department of internal medicine at RUSH, said in a news release issued by Neurology.“Something as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea is an easy way for people to take an active role in maintaining their brain health.”
Holland noted that the study shows an association between higher amounts of dietary flavonols and slower cognitive decline but does not prove that flavonols directly cause a slower rate of cognitive decline.
Other limitations of the study are that the food frequency questionnaire, although valid, was self-reported, so people may not accurately remember what they eat.
MORE INFO:
- The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
- Thomas Monroe Holland, Puja Agarwal, Yamin Wang, Klodian Dhana, Sue E. Leurgans, Kyla Shea, Sarah L Booth, Kumar Rajan, Julie A. Schneider, Lisa L. Barnes. Association of Dietary Intake of Flavonols With Changes in Global Cognition and Several Cognitive Abilities. Neurology Nov 2022, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201541; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201541
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