US researchers have today (Wednesday 29 January) found a link between consuming flavonols – chemicals present in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – and the risk of dementia. The findings are published in the scientific journal, Neurology.

Diet and dementia, the previous evidence

Previous research on the links between diet and dementia risk has shown mixed results. Some observational studies have linked specific components of diet to a reduced dementia risk, but it is not clear that any of these hold a particular benefit.

What did the researchers do in this study?

Researchers looked at 921 study volunteers. They asked participants to self-report what foods they ate and how often over the previous year.

From this information, they calculated the amount of four types of flavanols present in the volunteer’s diet.

What was the link in this study?

Study volunteers who had a higher intake of certain – but not all – flavonols had a reduced risk of developing dementia.