A berry good idea

Linda Hall

A DIET rich in flavonols can help to prevent memory loss.

Best of all, they are present in the fruit, vegetables and other products that are near at hand here in Spain, especially now.

The results of a study by US researchers published in the PNAS science journal found that over ­ 60s who already consumed sufficient flavanols saw no benefit by adding more to their diet.

In contrast, those with flavonol deficits recorded memory improvement at an average of 16 per cent in a year, investigators found.

Strawberries, which are abundant and cheap at present, are an excellent source, together with other berries like the blueberries and raspberries which we can buy yearround.

Flavonols don’t stop there and are present in cherries ­ less abundant and more expensive this season ­ peaches, blackcurrants, grapes, apples and citrus fruit.

They are there too in leafy green vegetables and peppers as well as dark chocolate, tea and even red wine.

Complexion lesson

IN excess, refined sugar can accelerate skin ageing through a process called glycation.

Glycation occurs when sugar in the bloodstream attaches to proteins and fats to form harmful compounds called advanced glygcation end products (AGEs).

Over time, these accumulate in the second layer of skin, the dermis, and destroy collagen, said Dr Thivi Maruthap ­ pu, dermatologist, nutritionist and spokeswonan for the British Skin Foundation.

This in turn causes loss of skin elasticity, creating wrinkles.

Instead of sugary snacks, Dr Maruthappu suggested a few squares of dark chocolate, which contains skin ­ loving antioxidants called acanthocyanins and are believed to combat premature skin ageing.

DrinkWell, which sells low­calorie, lowsugar alcoholic drinks online, worked out that the average Briton drinks approximately 18 units of alcohol, the equivalent of nine medium glasses of wine at 83 calories each, or nine pints of beer at 230 per week.

Allergies

TWENTY­FIVE per cent of Europeans suffer from some type of allergy affecting the nose, sinuses or chest.

This will rise to 50 per cent within the next decade owing to climate change, immunologists predict.

Meanwhile, as the hay fever season reaches a peak, antihistamines will allay some of the discomfort but so, on a windy day, can the much reviled face masks we wore in the pandemic.

And red, itchy eyes will be less sore if you put used teabags in the fridge to use as an improvised cold compress.

It’s a puzzle

SCIENTISTS from the Wellcome Sanger Institute (Cambridge), together with research centres including the Zoological Society of London, hope to discover why some species avoid cancer.

Whales generally have low cancer rates, but the disease is a principal cause of death in cats and dogs while foxes are vulnerable but sheep are not.

Cancer causes the death of approximately 10 million people each year.