Consuming foods and drinks particularly high in flavonoids – such as berries, tea, dark chocolate and, yes, red wine – could potentially safeguard your brain in older age, with researchers linking these plant-based antioxidants with lowering the risk of developing dementia.
Recently there has been a revival in the debate of red wine and its health benefits versus its negative aspects – it is, after all, alcohol, which has clear detrimental impacts on health. However, if you choose to imbibe, there are worse options than a tipple high in flavonoids.
Led by researchers from Queens University Belfast, along with scientists at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, this new study makes yet another case for focusing on flavonoid content in foods and drinks for prolonged good health as we age. This time, however, the focus was specifically on dementia.
While genetics play a key role in health outcomes, we're increasingly coming to understand how diet is an important factor in combating many age-related health conditions and diseases.
“The worldwide prevalence of dementia continues to increase rapidly," says the study's lead researcher Aedín Cassidy, a professor at Queen University. "In this population-based cohort study, we analyzed dietary data from over 120,000 adults aged between 40 and 70 years from the UK Biobank. Our findings show that consuming six additional servings of flavonoid-rich foods per day, in particular berries, tea and red wine, was associated with a 28% lower risk of dementia. The findings were most noticeable in individuals with a high genetic risk as well as those with symptoms of depression.”
Earlier this year, another team of scientists found that those who regularly ate cheese aged happier and with better mental well-being. And we can think of some things that pair particularly well with a good Brie.
As Cassidy noted, the team looked at 121,986 UK Biobank participants aged 40 to 70 years, who took part in the cohort study 2006 and 2010, with a mean follow-up analysis of 9.2 years. Assigning a "flavodiet score" based on flavonoids reported in the participants' regular food and drink intake, the researchers found that, overall, six additional serves of items rich in this antioxidant resulted in those individuals with lower incidence of dementia. While not proof of causation, the significance of the results appear to be robust enough to show an association.
"The greatest risk reduction was observed in participants consuming at least two of the following per day: Five servings of tea, one serving of red wine, and 0.5 servings of berries, compared with those who did not achieve any of these intakes," the researchers note in the paper. "Higher intakes of flavonoid subclasses, including anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, and flavones, of which tea, red wine, and berries are the main contributors, supported these findings, showing inverse associations with dementia risk."
Flavoniods, of course, have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, and have been linked to a reduction in the development of a broad range of chronic diseases.
“These results provide a clear public health message as they suggest that a simple measure such as increasing daily consumption of flavonoid-rich foods may lower dementia risk, especially in populations at high risk," said first author Amy Jennings, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queens. “Currently, there is no effective treatment for the disease so preventive interventions to improve health and quality of life, and reduce social and economic costs, should continue to be a major public health priority.”
They added that those who could most benefit from upping their intake of flavonoids were those with elevated genetic risks of dementia, as well as those with high blood pressure and depression. While they caution that the study doesn't prove drinking half a glass of red wine a day will shield you from cognitive decline, they say that a focus on a more flavonoid-rich diet could certainly help with healthy brain aging.
Of course, flavonoids are also found in leafy green vegetables, soybeans, oranges and many more plant products, many of which – including their amounts – can be found in the tables within this study from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"Our results suggest that inclusion of flavonoid-rich foods into the daily diet may lower dementia risk, especially in populations at high risk," the researchers concluded.
The research was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Source: Queens University Belfast