Orange juice may help brain function

By MiNDFOOD

Orange juice may help brain function
Orange juice might be a secret weapon in the ageing process.

Orange juice isn’t just good for vitamin c and pairing with champagne for breakfast, a new (admittedly small) study has found that drinking OJ every day may help brain function in elderly people.

A co-author of the study, Dr Daniel Lamport, of the University of Reading’s School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences in the UK, told the Telegraph, that orange juice is a big source of plant phytochemicals called flavonoids, and in particular, flavanones.

Eating foods high in flavanoids is an easy way to boost your brain health, Dr Lamport says.

“Small, easily administered changes to the daily diet, such as eating more flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables, have the potential to substantially benefit brain health,” he said.

The study saw 37 people around the age of 67 drink 500ml of orange juice every day for eight weeks. The group improved 8 per cent overall in cognitive function, compared with a group who consumed a control drink.

While there is more work to do, it’s a start, the researchers say.

“More research on the positive effects of flavonoids on cognition is still needed. However, this is an important discovery which strengthens the growing body of evidence that flavonoid-rich foodstuffs could play a big role in tackling cognition decline in old age,” Dr Lamport said. 

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