As people age, their memory declines. This is because as we age, brain cells gradually damage and die, and the structure and function of the brain gradually changes. Although memory deterioration is a natural physiological change, its decline can be slowed by the right lifestyle and training.
Flavanols, a compound found naturally in many plants, including green tea, cocoa and some vegetables and fruits, include about 35 mg of flavanols in 20 grams of dark chocolate and about 10 mg in an apple. Early studies have shown that flavanols can improve the function of specific areas of the hippocampus in the brain.
Recently, researchers from Columbia University and Harvard University published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences " PNAS" titled " Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and habitual flavanol consumption" in a research paper.
The study showed that flavanol supplementation reversed memory in older adults on a low flavanol diet, with a 10.5 percent improvement in memory scores in the flavanol supplementation group compared to placebo and a 16 percent improvement compared to their own baseline memory after one year, and this improvement lasted for at least two years.
Early trials in mice suggest that flavanols, specifically the epicatechin in flavanols, improve memory by promoting the growth of neurons and blood vessels and the hippocampus.
In that study, researchers analyzed 3,562 healthy older adults with an average age of 71 years, and participants were randomly assigned to receive either a daily flavanol supplement or a placebo for three years, with the flavanol supplement containing 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechin.
The quality of participants' diets, including flavanol-containing foods, was collected by questionnaire at the beginning of the study. Participants were given a web-based memory test at home to assess short-term memory related to the hippocampus, which was repeated after the first, second and third years. More than one-third of the participants also provided urine samples, which were used to ensure that flavanol levels were consistent with the study's baseline data.
Based on this, the researchers analyzed the association between flavanol intake and memory in older adults.
The study found that after one year, participants who had poorer diets and lower baseline levels of flavanols improved their memory scores by an average of 10.5% with flavanol supplementation compared to placebo, and by 16% compared to their own baseline memory.
Importantly, this improvement was shown to persist for at least two years through three consecutive years of cognitive testing.
The researchers said the results strongly suggest that flavanol deficiency is a driver of age-related memory loss because flavanol intake correlates with memory scores, and that supplementation improves memory in adults who are deficient in flavanols.
They also stated that the study does not yet directly prove that low dietary flavanol intake alone leads to poor memory, and further trials are needed to confirm this.
In summary, the study suggests that supplementation with flavanols significantly improves memory in elderly people on a low flavanol diet, increasing the likelihood of improved cognitive function in older adults and providing a new perspective on healthy aging.
