According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers from Columbia and Brigham and Womens Hospital/Harvard, consuming foods rich in flavanols such as tea, chia seeds, apples, and dark chocolate can reduce the risk of age-related memory loss.

In the study, the researchers showed that replenishing these bioactive dietary components in flavanol-deficient adults over age 60 showed an improvement in memory loss. The study focused on tying age-related memory loss to alterations in the dentate gyrus, a particular location inside the brains hippocampus that is critical for forming new memories, and demonstrating that flavanols restored function in this brain region.

In the new research, over 3,500 healthy older individuals were randomly allocated to receive either a daily flavanol supplement (in tablet form) or a placebo pill for three years. The active supplement included 500 mg of flavonols, including 80 mg of epicatechins, which is the amount recommended for adults to consume through meals.

Participants completed a series of web-based exercises in their own homes to measure the forms of short-term memory mediated by the hippocampus. The examinations were repeated after years one, two, and three.

The findings of the study showed that memory scores increased for individuals who ate a healthy diet high in flavonols. On the other hand, among participants with poor diets and low baseline levels of flavanols, the memory scores increased by 10.5% compared to placebo and 16% compared to their memory at baseline, respectively. 

(Source:https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/other/tea-chia-seeds-apples-and-dark-chocolate-may-keep-age-related-memory-loss-at-bay/ar-AA1bSz5H