Ingestion of flavanols improves hippocampal memory function associated with cognitive aging

In a recent study published in PNAS In the journal, researchers investigated the effects of dietary flavanols on cognitive aging components associated with hippocampal-dependent memory and the association between habitual diet quality and the memory effects of flavanols.

study: Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with low dietary quality and low habitual flavanol intake. Image credit: guentermanaus/Shutterstock.com

Background

Age-related cognitive decline unrelated to various cognitive disorders later in life is known as cognitive aging. Studies in humans and other mammalian species have identified the hippocampal region as one of the key components of memory associated with cognitive aging.

Given that cognitive aging has a profound impact on our lives, and that quality of life can decline with age, identifying modifiable etiologies related to diet and lifestyle will help to reduce cognitive aging. could significantly reduce the public health impact of

Studies have shown that dietary quality, habitual eating patterns, and certain dietary components may be etiologically associated with cognitive aging.

Flavanols are bioactive compounds commonly found in apples, teas, berries, cocoa, grapes, and a variety of other vegetables and fruits. , studies have shown to slow cognitive aging.

About research

In this study, the investigators conducted a supplemental study to an ongoing double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study called the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) to explore the effects of combined invasive cancer and cardiovascular disease. The effects of multivitamin and cocoa extract supplementation were investigated. occurrence of illness.

The intervention consisted of cocoa extract, multivitamin capsules, and placebo, and included men aged 60 and older and women aged 65 and older, respectively.

A supplementary study, COSMOS-Web, investigated the effects of flavanol supplementation on hippocampus-dependent memory. The primary prespecified outcome of COSMOS-Web was performance on the Modified Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (ModRey) test followed by 1 year of intervention.

A secondary analysis tested for effect modification based on baseline diet quality as reported by participants. The specificity of flavanol effects on hippocampus-dependent memory was tested by contrasting performance associated with the prefrontal cortex measured using the Flanker test.

COSMOS-Web’s online platform included a self-managing cognitive battery. This battery was installed through the web platform and ran locally to avoid internet-based delays in response logging. After completing the battery, the participants’ performance data were automatically uploaded to the web platform.

Cognitive outcomes were measured using the ModRey test and the Flanker test. The ModRey test assesses recall of list learning and episodic memory. Twenty words were presented to participants, and each word was remembered for 3 seconds.

Participants were then asked to recall the word immediately after the list was presented and 20 minutes later. In contrast, the Flanker Test measures business management. It consists of trials in which participants respond to matching the color and direction of a central arrow surrounded by other arrows on the screen.

The difference in reaction times between concordant and discordant trials determines the magnitude of the directional flanker effect.

Effects of flavanol intake on changes in cognitive indices over time and on the Alternate Healthy Dietary Index (aHEI) and urinary 5-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone metabolite (gVLM) concentrations. was assessed by analyzing the association of .

result

Results showed that chronic flavanol intake and baseline dietary quality were selectively and positively correlated with hippocampus-dependent memory. Improvements in memory throughout the study were associated with increases in flavanol biomarkers.

Furthermore, at the end of the 1-year study based on prespecified endpoint tests, intervention-related memory improvements were not statistically significant, whereas flavanol intake-related memory improvements were Observed in the lower tertile of intake. and habitual diet quality.

Improvements in memory were observable after 1 year of intervention and were maintained over the next 3 years of follow-up. Moreover, diet quality was more strongly associated with hippocampal components of cognitive aging than with prefrontal cortical components.

Furthermore, increased urinary concentrations of the flavanol biomarker gVLM were associated with improvements in hippocampus-dependent memory. In contrast, lower gVLM concentrations in urine were associated with poorer baseline memory.

Conclusion

Overall, the results of this study suggest that flavonols are a component of a healthy diet, and that habitual intake of flavonols and baseline dietary quality are positively correlated with improvements in hippocampal-associated cognitive aging memory components. showed that there is

This result emphasized the importance of dietary recommendations incorporating flavanol intake to improve brain health and function.