Bad Habit Increases Dementia Four-Fold

The more we learn about dementia, the more we understand that there are certain things you can do to dramatically lower—or raise—your risk of dementia.

A study just published in the Journal of Nutrition revealed something that increases your risk of dementia FOUR-FOLD.

Fortunately, it’s never too late to make a change.

Researchers studied 2,800 people 50 and older to find out whether eating foods high in flavonoids would have an impact on the development of Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Flavonoids are natural substances found in plants, and are especially high in foods like berries, apples, onions, and chocolate—and in drinks like tea and wine.

This study was different than other similar studies because it looked at the exposure to these types of foods over a long period of time—20 years—as opposed to a shorter period of time.

The researchers found that specific types of flavonoids were associated with different risks.

For example, compared to those with the highest intake, people who had the lowest intake of flavanols and flavonoid polymers had TWICE the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Flavanols are found in foods like apples, pears, and tea.

But people who had low intake of anthocyanins had a FOUR-FOLD higher risk of dementia

Anthocyanins are found in foods like blueberries, strawberries, and red wine.

For context, the lowest intake group basically ate no berries or drank any tea… ever.

Compare this to the highest intake group, which reported eating about 2 cups of berries per week, two apples per week, and about 4-5 cups of tea per week.

What stands out to me about this study is that the “highest intake” group wasn’t eating THAT much of these foods.

We’re talking about eating a handful of berries a day, and a couple apples per week.

Anyone can do that.

It’s never too late to start improving your health. Studies like this one serve as a good reminder of how important—and how easy—safeguarding your health can really be.