New research published in Neurology shows that consuming food and drink containing the antioxidant flavonol – found in tea and nearly all fruits and vegetables – may prevent people developing dementia years later.
“More research is needed to confirm these results, but these are promising findings,” said study author Thomas M. Holland of Rush University in Chicago. “Eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea could be a fairly inexpensive and easy way for people to help stave off Alzheimer’s dementia. With the elderly population increasing worldwide, any decrease in the number of people with this devastating disease, or even delaying it for a few years, could have an enormous benefit on public health.” Holland noted that the study shows an association between dietary flavonols and Alzheimer’s risk but does not prove that flavonols directly cause a reduction in disease risk.