People may experience a slower rate of memory deterioration if they consume more foods high with antioxidant flavonols, which are present in many fruits and vegetables, as well as tea and wine, according to a press release.

Flavonols are a type of flavonoid, which is a class of phytochemicals present in plant pigments and recognized for their health benefits. 

The average age of the 961 participants in the trial without dementia was 81. Each year, they responded to a questionnaire on their dietary habits. 

Additionally, they underwent yearly cognitive and memory assessments that involved putting numbers in the right order, remembering lists of words, and recalling word lists.

Five Equal Groups

The participants were also asked questions regarding their level of education, the amount of time they spent engaging in physical activity, and the amount of time they spent performing mentally stimulating things like reading and playing games were asked. They were monitored for an average of seven years. 

Depending on how many flavonols they consumed, the participants were split into five equal groups. The study population had an average dietary intake of total flavonols of about 10 mg per day, compared to the average amount of flavonols consumed by US adults, which ranges from 16 to 20 milligrams (mg) per day. 

The highest group took an average of 15 mg per day, which is about equivalent to one cup of dark leafy greens, whereas the lowest group consumed only approximately 5 mg daily. 

Global Cognition Score

Researchers used a total global cognition score that represented the results of 19 cognitive tests to calculate rates of cognitive decline. 

For those with no cognitive issues, the average score was 0.5; for those with mild cognitive impairment, it was 0.2; and for those with Alzheimer's disease, it was -0.5. 

Researchers discovered that persons with the highest intake of flavonols saw 0.4 units per decade slower deterioration in cognitive function than those with the lowest intake. 

Thomas M. Holland, MD, MS, the study's lead author, stated that this is because flavonols have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. 

The four components of the flavonol class-kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, and isorhamnetin-were also broken down in the study. 

The rate of cognitive deterioration was 0.4 units per decade slower in those with the highest consumption of kaempferol than in those with the lowest intake.

The rate of cognitive decline was 0.2 units per decade slower among those who took the most quercetin compared to those who consumed the least. 

Additionally, those who consumed the most myricetin had a rate of cognitive deterioration that was 0.3 units per decade lower than those who consumed the least. Global cognition and dietary isorhamnetin were not related. 

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Slower Cognitive Decline

Holland pointed out that while the study does not prove that dietary flavonols directly contribute to a slower pace of cognitive decline, it does demonstrate a relationship between higher intakes of dietary flavonols and a slower rate of cognitive decline. 

The research is published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, on November 22, 2022. 

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Written by Jace Dela Cruz