Abundant in apples, pears, olive oil, beans, spinach, etc.
Research has shown that foods such as strawberries, which contain flavonols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, are good for brain health.
As a result of a study conducted on more than 900 adults by the University of Rush Medical Center in the United States, foods containing flavonols were found to be good for strengthening the brain as well as cardiovascular system and liver and kidney health. Flavonols are antioxidants that reduce inflammation, prevent cell damage in the brain, and eliminate harmful free radicals in the body. It belongs to a relatively well-known family of flavonoids.
Foods rich in flavonol include fruits such as strawberries, apples, pears, and oranges, green leafy vegetables such as tomatoes, kale, broccoli, and spinach, grains such as beans, olive oil, tea, and wine. These different foods work synergistically.
The research team collected data from 961 adults without dementia (average age 81 years). Over an average of seven years, the participants responded to a questionnaire regarding their diet each year and took cognitive and memory tests. The researchers compared a group that consumed regarding 15 mg of flavonols per day (equivalent to regarding 1 cup of green leafy vegetables) to a group that consumed only regarding 5 mg of flavonols per day. The results showed that people who ate enough flavonol-containing green leafy vegetables experienced a 32% slower decline in cognitive function than those who did not.
Dr. Thomas Holland (internal medicine) of Rush Medical Center, the main author of the study, said, “Flavonols alone cannot prevent mental aging, and sufficient intake of various fruits and vegetables, active physical activity and cognitive training, You have to work hard to relieve stress,” he stressed. “The best way to stock up on flavonols is to eat foods rich in them,” he added.
The research team found an association between flavonols and delayed cognitive decline, but said they might not prove a direct causal relationship. He also said that the incompleteness of people’s memories of what they ate was a limitation of the study.
The results of this study (Association of Dietary Intake of Flavonols With Changes in Global Cognition and Several Cognitive Abilities) were published in the online edition of the journal Neurology and introduced by the American health media ‘Health Day’.