Special Chocolate Could Delay Brain Decay

SAN FRANCISCO–Researchers at the annual meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science last month said a
special type of cocoa could help maintain brain function and stave
off cognitive decline and dementia as people age.

In a session called “The Neurobiology of Chocolate: A
Mind-Altering Experience?,” Ian Macdonald, a professor at the
U.K.’s University of Nottingham Medical School, said a brain
imaging study he conducted suggests that flavanols–a naturally
occurring nutrient found in fresh cocoa–may improve blood vessel
function, thus increasing brain blood flow and “enhancing brain
function among older adults.”

After study participants drank a flavanol-rich cocoa beverage
from Mars Inc., their brains showed increased blood flow for a
two-to-three-hour period, Macdonald said. He noted this raises the
possibility that increased blood flow might benefit older adults
and those who have cognitive impairments like fatigue or sleep
deprivation.

In a separate U.S. study, Harvard Medical School researcher
Norman Hollenberg said he observed a “striking blood flow response”
that evolved over several weeks after healthy volunteers over age
50 were fed the special Mars cocoa.

Hollenberg said he found similar benefits in the Kuna Indians of
Panama, who drink natural cocoa rich in flavanols on a daily basis.
In addition to low rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer,
there are no reports of dementia among the Kuna, he said.

While it’s still too early to conclude that cocoa leads to
better health, the scientists cautioned, more research is
warranted.