Health Update: Plant Based Flavanols Restore Memory
Hello again everyone:
There is a class of natural chemicals found in plant-based foods that can significantly improve brain function. In this study the researchers found that the poorer the diet, the better the memory improvement when flavanols and a better diet were added.
“Just like there are specific constituents of our diets that are vital for the developing brain, other dietary constituents might be important for the aging brain. This study, a culmination of 15 y of research from mice to humans, provides biomarker-based evidence that dietary consumption of flavanols, a food constituent found in certain fruits and vegetables, can be etiologically linked to age-related memory decline.
We are not only living longer, but we are living cognitively more demanding lives. Our findings suggest that flavanol consumption might be considered in future dietary recommendations, perhaps together with the flavanol biomarker, specifically geared toward preventing or improving brain health in later life.”
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2216932120
Bottom Line:
To clarify this study, it is important to note the following:
· Those with the poorest diet has the worst memory and executive function.
· Giving those poor diet participants a flavanol boost helped their brain function.
· Giving those with a better diet some flavanols did not help.
· This suggests that a diet rich in natural flavanols is both protective and restorative.
To me, this clearly says we should be eating a predominantly plant-based food plan of whole and unprocessed foods, preferably organic whenever possible. If you can, you will see this is confirmed by reading the abstracts in the references listed in this paper. Just reading these brief abstracts is enough to open our eyes to the fact that flavanols have remarkable benefits to our health and they are meant to be a significant component of our daily foods. On top of that, multiple studies reveal that flavanols assist with killing viruses, lowering blood pressure, and reduced risk of several cancers. Here are some foods that are high in flavanols that we should be consuming daily:
Berries; red cabbage; kale; onions; parsley; tea; dark chocolate; citrus; soybeans; broccoli; dark grapes; apples; legumes; thyme; celery; hot peppers!
https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-flavonoids
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-flavonoids-everything-you-need-to-know#function