Cocoa Affects Cognitive Health

It’s normal for cognitive function to deteriorate slightly as we get older. Memory capacity begins to worsen, along with processing speed and the ability to form long-term memories. Finding a way to defer the onset of these issues should then become more important to people.

“A new study conducted in older adults with hypertension and/or diabetes has found that drinking just two cups a day of cocoa for a month was associated with significant improvements in cognitive function and blood flow in the brain.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, had scientists test the effects of cocoa consumption on 60 volunteers, average age 73. Although none had dementia, 17 suffered from a condition called impaired neurovascular coupling (NVC), a measure of blood flow in the brain as it relates to nerve cells (neurons). Researchers initially tested two levels of flavanols in cocoa, consumed twice a day for 30 days. Participants were encouraged to alter their diets to compensate for the extra calories in the cocoa.” (Nutritionletter)

Being that cocoa flavonols have such profound effects on the human body, I would suspect the next stage is to investigate how long the positive effects stick around. Research will likely center on how they work as the implications may affect millions of people.