Food for Thought on Healthy Aging

Here’s what the researchers who carried out this study did: they pulled data from two large, long running health studies. They then compared participant “subjective cognitive function” (SCF) (or self-assessment of tasks, such as remembering everyday things and the ability to follow spoken conversation) with the person’s own food intake reports.

As it turns out, some rather familiar fruits and vegetables offer a lot more than many of us give them credit for. Small natural components called flavonoids found in some fruits, vegetables, as well as, grains, roots, stems, flowers, tea, and even wine, possess anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic properties (1). Not only do these components provide protection against certain cancers, coronary heart disease, and inflammation, they are also linked to improved cognitive function (2).

Flavones, flavanones, and anthocyanins are subgroups of flavonoids and were found to be the most beneficial when related to SCF later in life (3). Adding various flavonoids to the diet may benefit general memory, executive function, attention, and visuospatial skills (3).  The researchers found that the connection between flavonoid intake and better cognitive function was strongest when the participants began eating these foods at a younger age, making this good advice for people of all ages.

Here is where you can find these compounds:

Orange juice
Oranges
Peppers
Celery
Red wine*

Orange juice
Oranges
Grapefruits*
Grapefruit juice*

Blueberries
Strawberries
Apples/pears
Red cabbage
Red wine*

Bananas
Onions
Tea
Peaches
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
Lettuce
Potatoes

Finally, please feel free to browse the Nutrition Department’s “Nutrition Tips for Older Adults” booklet available for more healthy aging tips here.

References:

1. Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of nutritional science, 5, e47. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2016.41
2. Yao, L. H., Jiang, Y. M., Shi, J., Tomás-Barberán, F. A., Datta, N., Singanusong, R., & Chen, S. S. (2004). Flavonoids in food and their health benefits. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 59(3), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-004-0049-7
3. Yeh, T. S., Yuan, C., Ascherio, A., Rosner, B., Willett, W., & Blacker, D. (2021). Long-term Dietary Flavonoid Intake and Subjective Cognitive Decline in US Men and Women. Neurology, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012454. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000012454
4. Agarwal, P., Holland, T. M., Wang, Y., Bennett, D. A., & Morris, M. C. (2019). Association of Strawberries and Anthocyanidin Intake with Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk. Nutrients, 11(12), 3060. doi:10.3390/nu11123060
5. Holland, T. M., Agarwal, P., Wang, Y., Leurgans, S. E., Bennett, D. A., Booth, S. L., & Morris, M. C. (2020). Dietary flavonols and risk of Alzheimer dementia. Neurology, 94(16), e1749–e1756. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008981