Neurology: Eat more flavonoids, health and longevity without dementia!

This result supports the benefits of higher flavonoid intake for maintaining cognitive function in both men and women in the United States.

Flavonoids are a group of biologically active phenolic compounds that are subsets of phytonutrients found in large quantities in different plant foods. Flavonoids are found in different types of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, spices, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers and other plant foods, as well as in beverages such as tea and wine.

A new study previously published in the international academic journal Nature Communications shows that eating flavonoids-rich foods, such as apples and tea, can prevent cancer and heart disease, especially for smokers and alcoholics.

With the increasing use of flavonoids through fruit- and vegetable-rich diets, different studies have been conducted around the world to assess their potential health benefits and anti-cancer properties. In order to prospectively study the relationship between long-term dietary flavonoids and subjective cognitive decline (SCD), experts from Harvard University and Zhejiang University conducted relevant studies, and the results were published in the journal Neurology.

The researchers followed 49,493 women in the Nurses Health Study (NHS) (1984-2006) and 27,842 men in the Health Specialist Follow-up Study (HPFS) (1986-2002). Poisson regression was used to assess the association between dietary flavonoids (flavonols, flavonoids, flavanones, flavan-3-ol, anthocyanins, polymeric flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins) and subsequent SCD.

After adjusting for age, total energy intake, major non-dietary factors, and specific dietary factors, higher total flavonoid intake was associated with a lower odds of SCD. The pooled risk of a 3-unit increment of SCD was reduced by 19% in the highest quintile versus the lowest quintile of total flavonoid intake (OR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.89).

Further, in the pooled results, the strongest associations of flavonoids (OR = 0.62 [95% CI 0.57 to 0.68]), flavanones (OR=0.64 [0.58 to 0.68]) and anthocyanins (OR=0.76 [0.72 to 0.84]) were observed, with a 38%, 36%, and 24% reduction in risk, respectively. The dose-response curve for flavonoids is the steepest, followed by anthocyanins. Finally, the article also notes that many flavonoid-rich foods, such as strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, citrus juice, apples/pears, celery, peppers, and bananas, are clearly associated with a low risk of SCD.

Relationship between different flavonoid intake and SCD

Taken together, the results support the benefits of higher flavonoid intake for maintaining cognitive function in both men and women in the United States.

bibliography:

Long-term Dietary Flavonoid Intake and Subjective Cognitive Decline in US Men and Women. Neurology Sep 2021, 97 (10) e1041-e1056; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012454

Written by | Dr. Apathy

Organize | Swagpp