How a glass of wine with dinner could stave off dementia

A GLASS of red wine with dinner could slash the risk of dementia, says a study.

It’s one of several drinks and foodstuffs – tea and leafy spinach are among the rest – that contain antioxidant flavonols.

These plant compounds have been linked to health benefits, and people with a higher intake seem to have a slower rate of cognitive decline, say researchers.

In a seven-year study, scientists at Rush Medical Centre in Chicago tested 61 people, average age 81, who didn’t have dementia. They were split into five groups based on the amount of flavonols in their diet and given annual cognitive tests.

The group with a flavonol intake of 15mg a day showed a 32 per cent reduction in the rate of cognitive decline against the group with an intake of only 5mg a day. Those who got their flavonols from kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli saw the biggest benefit, but wine, tomatoes, apples and oranges were also beneficial.

Study author Thomas Holland said: ‘It is never too early or too late to start making healthy lifestyle changes.’