What simple changes to your diet can help prevent your brain from cognitive decline? According to a recent study, just adding at least ½ a serving of flavonoid-rich foods per day (f.e. berries, apples, red cabbage, kale, spinach or onions) will help reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults by 20%!

Flavonoids are widely distributed plant pigments. Many of them are yellow or white in colour, and the special type anthocyanins are red, blue or purple. Flavonoids are significant contributors to our health due to their antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti‐inflammatory properties that protect our cells from all possible damage.

The study looked at self-estimated cognitive abilities of 77.335 participants aged 48-51 (on average) and their recorded information on how often they ate various foods. Their intake of different types of flavonoids was calculated by multiplying the flavonoid content of each food by its frequency.

It turned out that the highest flavonoid consumers (appr. 600 mg flavonoid foods in their diets each day) had 20% less risk of self-reported cognitive decline than the people in the lowest group (appr. 150 mg flavonoid foods per day).

The study also looked at several types of flavonoids and found that flavones (some spices, yellow or orange fruits and vegetables) and anthocyanins ( blueberries, blackberries and cherries) may have the most protective effect. Flavones were linked to a 38% reduction in risk of cognitive decline, which is the equivalent of being 3-4 years younger. On the other hand, anthocyanins were related to a 24% decreased risk of cognitive decline.

Curious? HERE is the source