Dream of the Future: Chocolate as Brain Food

As if chocolate lovers needed yet another reason to indulge guilt free, researchers from Harvard University and Mars, Incorporated, have released their findings that a naturally occurring substance in cocoa can actually bring long-term improvements to the flow of blood to the brain in ways that may have the potential of easing the damage of a stroke or slowing the progression of dementia. Currently, one in seven older Americans is battling age-related dementia.

To test their theory, the research team enlisted a group of healthy adults whose ages ranged from 59 to 83. At regular intervals over the course of the study, each participant drank a specially formulated beverage rich in cocoa flavanol, the compound thought to be responsible for the increased blood flow to the brain.

Within just one week, blood flow to the brain had increased by 8% in the study participants. After two weeks, blood flow had improved by 10%.

Describing the study as the first of its kind, the research team says it demonstrates both short-term and long-term benefits of cocoa flavanols in a way that far surpasses the beneficial effects of the antioxidants in cocoa that are getting substantial media attention of late. Since blood flow to the brain slows naturally over time, the research team suggests regular consumption of cocoa flavanol-rich foods may slow the decline in blood flow, thereby slowing the onset of age-related dementia.

Researchers used a form of cocoa derived through a special process the chocolate-candy giant, Mars, Incorporated, has formulated to contain a very high concentration of cocoa flavanols. The proprietary process, Cocoapro, may prove to be the basis for future development of flavanol-rich, chocolate-flavored products designed specifically for older people.

The medical journal, Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, has published the findings of the research in its latest issue.

Filed under: Diet, Medical Research, Neurology, Prevention, Stroke