Sounds too delicious to be true. Does Chocolate Improve Your Memory? It seems that way, but we’re not talking about calorie-laden, additive-filled chocolate here. Rather, it’s dark chocolate, specially formulated with a high percentage of cocoa (and its beneficial flavanols), that may be good for your memory.
Does Chocolate Improve Your Memory?
Does chocolate improve your memory? Studies indicate that flavanols contained in cocoa may indeed enhance brain function.
Flavanols can be found in tea, grapes, red wine, apples and cocoa products and have been associated with a decreased risk of dementia. They may act on the brain structure and function directly by protecting neurons from injury, improving metabolism and their interaction with the molecular structure responsible for memory researchers said. Indirectly, flavanols may help by improving brain blood flow.
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Researchers found:
- Scores significantly improved in the ability to relate visual stimuli to motor responses, working memory, task-switching and verbal memory for those drinking the high and intermediate flavanol drinks.
- Participants drinking daily higher levels of flavanol drinks had significantly higher overall cognitive scores than those participants drinking lower-levels.
- Insulin resistance, blood pressure, and oxidative stress also decreased in those drinking high and intermediate levels of flavanols daily. Changes in insulin resistance explained about 40 percent of the composite scores for improvements in cognitive functioning.
If you’re interested, you can read more about the research study here.
Does Chocolate Improve Your Memory? More Evidence
Other studies support the claim about cocoa enhancing memory.
One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the consumption of this cocoa resulted in regional changes in blood flow in study participants, suggesting that cocoa flavanols may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within the brain itself.
“Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours,” Macdonald said. “This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation.”
Read more here.
So if you’re feeling that need for an afternoon pick-me-up while working at your desk, you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in one of your favorites. Does Chocolate Improve Your Memory? The evidence is mounting.
One of the companies that makes this high quality chocolate is DOVE®. It uses the Mars’ patented COCOAPRO® process that ensures that DOVE® Dark Chocolate retains much of the healthy cocoa flavanols. They buy their cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Farms.
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[...] One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the consumption of this cocoa resulted in regional changes in blood flow in study participants, suggesting that cocoa flavonols may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within the brain itself. “Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular flavonol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours,” Macdonald said. “This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavonols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation.” via Does Chocolate Improve Your Memory? Improving Your Memory Techniques [...]