The benefits for your brain of eating colorful fruits and vegetables

Nicholas Bakalar writes for The New York Times on the value of flavonoids, the chemicals that make your fruit and vegetables colorful. A new study published in Neurology finds that colorful fruits and vegetables may have benefits for your brain. So, if you’re feeling forgetful or confused or wanting to stave off forgetfulness and confusion, it could help to eat more brussels sprouts, peaches and tomatoes!

Researchers studying subjective cognitive decline found that brain health can be a product of the right nutrition. Flavonoids in fruits and vegetables might delay or reduce the likelihood of becoming confused and forgetful as you age. The researchers undertook a large and long observational study covering more than 100,000 participants in their early to mid-70’s on average, over around 20 years. So, the findings give more weight to the theory that nutrition can affect the health of our brains and keep your memory strong. But, it cannot show causality between eating colorful fruits and vegetables and reductions in confusion and forgetfulness.

Researchers looked at study participants’ consumption of more than 20 types of flavonoids found in carrots, strawberries, spinach, avocados and other fruits and vegetables. (N.B. Mushrooms do not contain flavonoids although they do have beneficial properties.) It asked participants seven questions with yes or no responses regarding their ability to recall recent events, short lists, spoken instructions and finding their way around different locations, as well as their sense of their ability to recall things.

The researchers found that the participants who were among the top 20 percent in their ability to recall things had the highest consumption of flavonoids. And, they were 19 percent less likely to say that they were forgetful or confused. The researchers concluded that the earlier in life people eat a rich array of flavonoids, the better for the health of their brains and their memory.

One other noteworthy conclusion: The researchers found that some vegetables and fruits appeared to lead participants to have less confusion than other vegetables and fruits. So, if you’re open to eating raw spinach, winter squash, strawberries and brussels sprouts, that could potentially further reduce your likelihood of being forgetful and confused as you age and, perhaps, even the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Here’s more from Just Care:

• Eat more plants . . . reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s
• Better health comes with beneficial microbes and coffee
• Five reasons to eat avocados
• Eat more mushrooms!
• Live longer, avoid sugary and diet sodas