Do you know what makes a diet healthy?
Well, it’s the mixture of delicious and nutritious vegetables and fruits that makes the foundation of a healthy diet. Just feel the taste of sunny yellow peppers, dark green spinach leaves, and red strawberries. The vibrant colors of all these vegetables are due to the flavonoids they contain.
A common belief is that flavonoids can strengthen memory. Is it really so? Can flavonoids help prevent forgetfulness?
Yes, flavonoids have powerful role in improving mammalian cognition and can even reverse the memory declines associated with age. A recent study on neurology at Harvard has proved this effect of flavonoids in protecting cognition.
Flavonoids prevent forgetfulness: the investigation
In the Harvard study, scientists collected the diet information and health data of around 77000 middle-aged humans. The data collected includes the information on how much flavonoid-rich food the participants take and what changes occur in their cognition abilities.
The researchers asked participants, whether they
- Remember things that occurred recently
- Can understand the guidelines
- Can recognize the familiar street and find their way
- Can follow the TV plot or group conversation
What do flavonoids do?
Research indicated the positive effect of flavonoids on the brain. According to the results,
- Flavones lower the risk of cognitive decline to 38%
- Flavanones lower the risk of cognitive decline to 36%
- Anthocyanins lower the risk of self-reported cognitive decline to 24%
How do flavonoids help prevent forgetfulness?
Now come to the question,
What makes flavonoids improve cognitive abilities?
Well, it could be the antioxidants that may reduce amyloid accumulation and brain inflammation—the primary causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
Not only this, antioxidants have some other health benefits, such as it
- Improve the health of blood vessels
- Increase the concentration of neurotrophic factors. These chemicals can repair damaged brain cells. As a result, new brain cells will form and the brain will have better connections.
- Fight with inflammation
- Lowers the blood pressure
- Combat with the growth of tumor
How many flavonoids you must take daily?
We know the amazing benefits of flavonoids have convinced you to add them to your diet. But the question is how many flavonoids should you take? A study recommends a daily intake of 150mg-620mg.
Let’s see how much flavonoid different foods contain
- 165 mg of anthocyanins are present in a half cup of blueberries
- 5 mg of flavones are present in half a cup of peppers
Don’t stress about the number of flavonoids and add different vegetables and fruits to your diet. You can set a goal to eat vegetables and fruits in a five-a-day combination. And the three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits is the best combination ever.