Deficiency of flavanol, found in certain fruits, vegetables, a driver of aging memory loss

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) A diet low in flavanols, or nutrients found in certain fruits and vegetables, was found to drive memory loss that came with aging, according to a new research.

The research, led by Columbia University and Brigham and Women's Hospital, US, said that it supported the emerging idea that that the aging brain required specific nutrients for optimal health, just as the developing brain required specific nutrients for proper development.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that flavanol intake among older adults tracked with scores on tests designed to detect memory loss due to normal aging and that replenishing these bioactive dietary components in mildly flavanol-deficient adults over age 60 improved performance on these tests.