Do Flavanoids Prevent Dementia?

The ongoing issue with nutritional epidemiology

Pictured: Flavanoids. Mostly in the tea (probably a few in the wood as well if you really wanted to try it). Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

Everyone loves a good story about their favourite food. We adore hearing that the things that we already enjoy are good for our health, whether that’s red wine somehow curing heart disease or chili peppers reducing your long-term risk of cancer.

Of course, these stories rarely pan out — health is much more complicated than that — but they feel great and so they keep being told. The latest story is no different. According to headlines, eating foods high in flavonoids can cut your risk of dementia. Flavonoids are chemicals found in plants that people think may be good for our health. Tea, coffee, chocolate, berries, grapes, and onions are not just tasty additions to your diet — they could literally save your life.

Unfortunately, the reality is not quite so clear. If you look carefully at the data, it’s quite likely that the researchers have just proven (once again) that living a generally healthy lifestyle is good for your health.

Let’s look at the data.

The Science

The new study is a retrospective cohort study where researchers took the UK Biobank dataset, which tracks people enrolled in the 2000s over time, and analyzed it to look at diet and risk of dementia over time. The…