Chocolate Consumption May Improve Cognitive Function
Eating chocolate once a week may improve cognitive function, according to a new study.
Many previous studies have investigated the health benefits of chocolate—with a focus on dark chocolate specifically because of its rich flavanol content—but little research has examined the effects of chocolate on cognitive function.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Can Chocolate Reverse Age-Related Memory Decline?
Could Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Still Trigger Milk Allergies?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To study the connection, researchers followed 968 participants aged 23 to 98 years in the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study for 30 years.
Researchers administered food frequency questionnaires to understand participants’ level of chocolate intake (including dark, milk, and white chocolate): never, rarely, once a week, 2-4 times a week, 5-6 times a week, or daily.
Cognitive function was assessed using the study’s neuropsychological test battery, which tested visual-spatial memory, working memory, verbal memory, and scanning and tracking.
After analyzing the data, researchers found that participants who ate chocolate once a week scored significantly higher on the cognitive tests than those who didn’t eat or rarely ate chocolate.
“Further intervention trials and longitudinal studies are needed to explore relations between chocolate, cocoa flavanols, and cognition, and the underlying causal mechanisms,” researchers concluded.
—Amanda Balbi
Reference:
Crichtona GE, Eliasb MF, and Alkerwid A. Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse longitudinal study. Appetite. Published online before print February 10, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.010.