Flavanol Deficiency and Memory: New Study Shows Flavonols May Improve Memory
Researchers have recently found that flavanols, a constituent found in some fruits and vegetables, may be the key to improving memory and cognitive performance. Those with flavanol deficiencies had poor performance on memory and cognition tests. After taking cocoa flavanols their performance improved significantly. 
So let’s dive a little deeper into what happened during the study.
Study Design
This study monitored 3,562 older adults over the span of 3 years.
All of the participants were tested to see if they fit into the category of flavanol deficient or not. Flavanol deficiency was determined by a urine-based biomarker, gVLM (5-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone metabolite). After this test was completed, groups were created.
Half of the participants were given cocoa extract which contained 500 mg of flavanols per day or a placebo. Participants were tested for the same biomarkers that they were at the beginning throughout the entirety of the study period.
Study Results
The results found that people who had lower baseline levels of flavanols experienced the greatest effects from the flavanol intake. Their testing scores went up significantly in correlation to the rise in flavanol levels.
People who began the test period with normal levels of flavanols experienced little to no increase in cognition or memory when taking the supplementation.
After a year of flavanol intake, the increase in cognitive growth plateaued for the deficient group. When their flavanol levels normalized, they experienced no additional benefits from taking flavanols.
These results suggest that flavanol consumption helps to increase and maintain normal cognition and memory abilities but only if deficient.
Another interesting point in this study is that only the hippocampus was affected. So memory related to the hippocampus was improved, however, memory that deals with the prefrontal cortex experienced no effects throughout the duration of the study.
What do these results mean for you?
The first and probably most important thing that this study means for everyone is that eating foods that contain flavanols is an important factor of maintaining your brain health. Flavanols help support the hippocampus and therefore our long-term memory and cognitive abilities.
This research helps show us, yet again, just how important eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is since they are our major source of flavanols.
What are flavanols?
Flavanols (not to be confused with flavonols — though they both contain fantastic properties for our health) are a compound found in plant-derived foods. They are part of the flavonoid family of polyphenols.
Flavanols are most commonly found in dark purple or blue fruits and vegetables. They are also found in teas and cacao. Flavanols are what give these superfoods their health-promoting benefits.
Flavanols fall into four main categories:
- Flavan-3-ols
- Flavan-4-ols
- Isoflavan-4-ols
- Flavan-3,4-ols
Flavanols have been found to help with a multitude of bodily functions. Some of the benefits of flavanols include:
- Antioxidant properties allow them to scavenge free radicals and remove reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the body
- Antiinflammatory properties help to prevent and fight diseases
- Anticarcinogenic properties may help them to fight and prevent cancer
- Antiviral and antimicrobial properties can help to fight off infections
- Cardioprotective properties help to protect and maintain heart health
- Neuroprotective properties help to protect and maintain brain health
Flavanols have been found to prevent or help reduce certain conditions, as well. They’ve been shown to help:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- Normalizing cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels
Many of the foods that are high in flavanols are used in traditional Chinese medicine for conditions ranging from diabetes and liver problems to immunological disorders.
Many subtypes of flavanols have been highly studied and have shown incredible benefits to human health. You’ll find these in cacao, tea, grapes, blueberries, and wine and they are why these food items are said to be healthy.
- Catechin
- Epicatechin
- Epigallocatechin
- Gallocatechin
- Gallate derivatives
- Proanthocyanidine
How to get more flavanols in your diet
Getting flavanols in your diet is quite simple, eat more of the foods that contain them. When you eat these foods you not only get flavanols, you also get other minerals, nutrients, and polyphenols too. They’re just the highest in flavanols.
The top foods to get more flavanols in your diet include:
- Tea (matcha, green, or black are the best)
- Grapes
- Grape juice (watch out for those with high sugar content)
- Wine — especially red wines
- Blueberries
- Red and purple potatoes
- Legumes
- Apples
- Cocoa, chocolate, cacao (make sure they are no less than 70% cacao and watch for the added sugars with any of these, too)
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Cranberries
Try adding a few of these that you don’t normally have to your grocery list and see if you notice a difference. Keeping foods like these in your rotation will help you to avoid flavanol deficiency which, as this study shows, can benefit your long-term brain health.
Try mixing them together in salads, smoothies, or in other ways to get as many benefits as you can!
Check out some of our recipes that contain these incredible ingredients below!
Duck Breast With Berry Reduction
Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Cookies
Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries
High Polyphenol Chocolate Garcia Clusters
Another way you can access these incredible benefits is by taking Atrantil. Our powerful blend contains horse chestnut which contains a high concentration of flavanols. While it was created to help those with gut problems, the effects this blend can offer have the potential to improve your overall health, not just your gut health.
Horse chestnut mixed with peppermint leaf and quebracho colorado are the perfect polyphenolic cocktail to help improve your health one day at a time. Grab yours here and be sure to check with your doctor that it will fit in well with any other medications or conditions that are unique to you.
Check out some of the recipes above and Atrantil to get more flavanols in your daily routines so you don’t have to worry about flavanol deficiency and its negative effects on your health.
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