Table 3.
Summary of studies investigating the effect of flavonoids on cerebral blood flow.
| Study | Flavonoid Source and Dose | Duration | Sample | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis et al. (2006) [98] | Cocoa 516 mg flavanols |
Acute | Healthy adults (aged 24–31 years, n = 4) | Increase in CBF across grey matter |
| Lamport et al. (2015) [102] | Cocoa 494 mg flavanols |
Acute | Healthy older adults (aged 50–65 years, n = 18) | Increase in regional perfusion (anterior cingulate cortex, central opercular cortex) |
| Sorond et al. (2008) [104] | Cocoa 450 mg flavanols |
1 week | Healthy older adults (aged 59–83 years, n = 21) | Increase in cerebral blood flow velocity |
| Brickman et al. (2014) [105] | Cocoa 900 mg flavanols |
3 months | Healthy older adults (aged 50–69 years, n = 41) | Increase in cerebral blood volume in the dentate gyrus |
| Marsh et al. (2017) [73] | Chocolate 395 mg (dark), 200 mg (milk) total polyphenols |
Acute | Postmenopausal women (n = 12) | Reduction in cerebral blood flow velocity with both dark and milk chocolate |
| Massee et al. (2015) [40] | Cocoa 250 mg catechin polyphenols |
Acute and 4 weeks | Healthy younger adults (aged 18–40 years, n = 40) | No significant effect |
| Dodd et al. (2012) [99] | Blueberry 579 mg flavonoids |
Acute | Healthy younger adults (aged 18–25 years, n = 19) | Increase in regional perfusion (occipital cortex, frontal lobe, angular gyrus) |
| Bowtell et al. (2017) [106] | Blueberry 387 mg anthocyanins |
12 weeks | Healthy older adults (aged >65 year, n = 26) | Increase in regional perfusion (parietal lobe, occipital lobe) |
| Lamport et al. (2016) [100] | Citrus 70.5 mg flavanones |
Acute | Healthy young subjects (aged 18–30 years, n = 24) | Increase in regional perfusion (inferior and middle right frontal gyrus) |
| Wightman et al. (2012) [107] | EGCG 135 mg, 270 mg |
Acute | Healthy adults (aged 18–30 years, n = 27) | Reduction in CBF to frontal cortex (135 mg), no effect of 270 mg |
CBF: cerebral blood flow.