Health Update: Plant Based Flavanols Restore Memory

Mark Smith • September 4, 2023

Hello again everyone:

 

There is a class of natural chemicals found in plant-based foods that can significantly improve brain function. In this study the researchers found that the poorer the diet, the better the memory improvement when flavanols and a better diet were added.


“Just like there are specific constituents of our diets that are vital for the developing brain, other dietary constituents might be important for the aging brain. This study, a culmination of 15 y of research from mice to humans, provides biomarker-based evidence that dietary consumption of flavanols, a food constituent found in certain fruits and vegetables, can be etiologically linked to age-related memory decline.


We are not only living longer, but we are living cognitively more demanding lives. Our findings suggest that flavanol consumption might be considered in future dietary recommendations, perhaps together with the flavanol biomarker, specifically geared toward preventing or improving brain health in later life.”


https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2216932120


Bottom Line:

 

To clarify this study, it is important to note the following:

·        Those with the poorest diet has the worst memory and executive function.

·        Giving those poor diet participants a flavanol boost helped their brain function.

·        Giving those with a better diet some flavanols did not help.

·        This suggests that a diet rich in natural flavanols is both protective and restorative.


To me, this clearly says we should be eating a predominantly plant-based food plan of whole and unprocessed foods, preferably organic whenever possible. If you can, you will see this is confirmed by reading the abstracts in the references listed in this paper. Just reading these brief abstracts is enough to open our eyes to the fact that flavanols have remarkable benefits to our health and they are meant to be a significant component of our daily foods. On top of that, multiple studies reveal that flavanols assist with killing viruses, lowering blood pressure, and reduced risk of several cancers. Here are some foods that are high in flavanols that we should be consuming daily:


Berries; red cabbage; kale; onions; parsley; tea; dark chocolate; citrus; soybeans; broccoli; dark grapes; apples; legumes; thyme; celery; hot peppers!


https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-flavonoids



https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-flavonoids-everything-you-need-to-know#function

By Mark Smith March 23, 2026
Health News Update: How To Fight Inflammation and Chronic Disease 3.23.26 Hello again everyone: You might wonder why I keep focusing on food…so here are some of the reasons: food choices are the leading cause of death in the U.S. and spreading around the world. Poor food choices lead to inflammation which slowly destroy health. It is that simple, plain, and clear and backed by research. The next question: how do we fight back? Introduction The positive impact of food on health was postulated by the ancient Hippocrates, father of modern medicine with his famous quote: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” [1]. In the 21st century, scientists have focused on the effect of nutritional habits in diseases. Nowadays, it is well documented that food plays a noteworthy role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases namely cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type II, and cancer [2–5], as it correlates with others with the lipid pattern, the blood pressure, and the endothelial function. The scientists examine the effect of nutritional habits on disease emergence and progression in both individual nutrient intake and dietary patterns models. Worldwide, two dietary patterns are usually compared—the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the Western diet (WD) [3,6]. The Mediterranean diet reflects the food culture of most Mediterranean countries based on olive oil consumption, seasonal fresh vegetables, cereals, and plants in balance with low consumption of meat [7]. The Western diet, on the contrary, is dominated by high-fat dairy products processed and red meat [8]. However, discordance in the different MD patterns and consumed food doses had been recognized. Without any doubt, those discrepancies could confine and restrict our knowledge on the health benefit mechanisms of the MD [9]. Due to the above, the medical community along with nutritionists and dieticians take a keen interest in MD and its traits [7]. https://www.academia.edu/45378994/biomedicines_Mediterranean_Diet_as_a_Tool_to_Combat_Inflammation_and_Chronic_Diseases_An_Overview?email_work_card=view-paper food choices can fight inflammation and chronic disease Bottom Line: This is a 2020 paper and since then literally hundreds of papers on the MD have emerged showing how the food plan lowers inflammation and the risk for developing multiple chronic illnesses. Even still, lots of research needs to be done to elucidate the many mechanisms of how food impacts our system and how to optimally individualize dietary recommendations. At this point, our best strategy to prevent and/or recover from any chronic condition is to eat as clean and natural as possible. It has become rather obvious that the further away from a natural diet we get, the sicker we become. On top of that, I have yet to see a full recovery from any health issue without the foundation of a predominantly plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods approach…which is why I keep posting about this subject. All the best to you and yours!
By Mark Smith March 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith March 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 23, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 22, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith January 26, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith January 19, 2026
New Title
More Posts