A recent study suggests eating colorful foods could protect you against Alzheimer’s disease.
According to it, people who ate the highest amount of foods like strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, citrus, celery and bananas were 33% less likely to develop cognitive decline.
The study tracked 77,000 middle-aged people for 20 years.
They were aged between 48 and 51 years old, on average.
Participants completed several diet surveys over the years.
They then gave the researchers a report on their brain power twice during the research period.
- They answered questions such as “do you have trouble following a conversation”
- “Have you recently experienced any change in your ability to remember things”.
Findings revealed that those with the highest intake of flavonoids had a 20 per cent lower risk of seeing their mental function decline during the study period.
Flavonoids are compounds found naturally in a wide variety of foods, but particularly fruit and veg.
They are hailed for having antioxidant properties.
This is the first study to pick up two distinct flavonoids – flavones and anthocyanin types.
Flavones are mostly found in yellow and orange plant foods.
In this study, flavones were mostly eaten in orange juice, oranges, peppers, celery, and even red wine.
Anthocyanins are found in darker foods.
The foods that contain anthocyanins are blueberries, strawberries, apples, and even red wine.
People who said they ate an abundance of yellow and orange foods were 38 per cent less likely to report their brain slowing down.
It’s the equivalent of being three to four years younger in age, the paper claimed.
Those who particularly ate darker foods were 24 per cent at less risk. Our results are exciting… they show making simple […]
In summary the scientists found the following foods effective against alzheimer’s disease:
- strawberries
- oranges
- grapefruits
- citrus juices
- apples/pears
- celery
- peppers
- bananas
- onions
- tea
- peaches
- cauliflower
- brussels sprouts
- lettuce
- potatoes
- wine
