According to the American Institute of Nutrition, the intake of chocolate, tea and wine rich in flavonoid by elderly women and men is associated with high level of cognitive performance (Bhagwat, Haytowitz, and Holden 98). The study involved a total of 2031 participants who were aged between 70-74 years old. The series of cognitive tests were undertaken among the population which had consumed the flavonoid-rich foodstuffs and then their results were compared to those of the populations which had not consumed the flavonoid-rich foodstuffs (Nurk et al. 124).
The findings showed that those who had consumed chocolate, tea and wine scored highly and their mean score was significantly higher as compared to the population which had not consumed these foods. The administration of these foods is dose dependent, the highest effect at the intake of chocolate is about 10g/d, 75-100g/d for wine but for tea the result was approximately linear. Therefore, the study findings depict that the effects are most pronounced for the intake of wine in the diets meant for the elderly.
The term flavonoids are used to refer to a group of plant metabolites which offer a variety of health benefits as a result of their effects resulting from their antioxidant and cell signaling pathways effects (Robertson 2). This effects of the flavonoids are capable of reducing the pathogenesis of some neurodegenerative disorders which cause cognitive decline and dementia such as the Alzheimer’s disease therefore improving the cognitive performance. The Polyphenols are also micronutrients derived from plants and they are strong antioxidants, the flavonoids are a subclass of the wide group of polyphenols (Weichselbaum and Buttriss 159).
Despite the research findings focusing on the three foods, it is important to understand that there are several other foods which are very rich in flavonoids and even with higher levels than the foods studied, these foods include the Rosaceae family of fruits such as peaches, apples, pears and plums especially when consumed raw. The flavonoid-rich foods extend to certain beans and nuts for instance the kidney and black beans not excluding the beans which are consumed in their immature state for instance the fava and pinto snap beans (Bhagwat, Haytowitz, and Holden 133).
Works Cited
Bhagwat, Seema, David B Haytowitz, and Joanne M Holden. “USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods.” U.S. Department of Argiculture (2011): 1–156. Print.
Nurk, E. et al. "Intake Of Flavonoid-Rich Wine, Tea, And Chocolate By Elderly Men And Women Is Associated With Better Cognitive Test Performance". Journal of Nutrition 139.1 (2008): 120-127. Web. 30 June 2016.
Robertson, Sally. "What Are Flavonoids?". News-Medical.net. N.p., 2010. Web. 30 June 2016.
Weichselbaum, E. and J. L. Buttriss. "Polyphenols In The Diet". Nutrition Bulletin 35.2 (2010): 157-164. Web.
