The newest study made by Columbia University and Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard claims that older people with low flavanol consumption performed poorly on memory tests.
It indicates a link between a low-flavanol diet and widespread age-related memory loss.
Let's find out more.
You need to eat more products that have these elements
Flavanol-rich diets or just supplements show good results in enhancing cognitive function in older people.
The study is based on previous research connecting memory loss to natural decline in the dentate gyrus, a vital area within the brain's hippocampus that is responsible for remembering and learning.
Flavanols help the proper function of this brain region by promoting the growth of neurons and specific blood vessels.
When people who are older than 60 and don't have enough of this element in their bodies supplemented their diets with flavanols, their test results significantly improved.
The experiment
The experiment involved 3,500 healthy older people who used either daily flavanol supplements or placebos for about three years.
After just one year, people who had lower initial flavanol levels experienced a 10.5% increase in memory tests significantly when compared to the group that used placebo.
Why is it so important
The results demonstrate that flavanol deficiency affects the age-related memory decline, and supplementing with flavanols can improve memory in those who don't have enough of these nutrients.
This study emphasizes the importance of flavanols in overall memory processes and their potential to counteract this process, or even turn it back.
