When you think about giving your cognitive health a little boost after a restless night, you might envision reaching for a plate of organic kale or sipping a spinach smoothie. Next time, picture a sweet treat, instead. That’s right, dark chocolate has been shown to have significant cognitive benefits in addition to its long-standing positive effects on cardiovascular health.
Researchers in Italy carried out an extensive review of the link between chocolate and cognitive function, and their findings should please chocoholics everywhere. For starters, the sweet stuff had a notable impact on women’s cognitive function following a sleep-deprived night. In fact, consuming dark chocolate seemed to counteract the negative effects of a lack of sleep on the brain.
Another fascinating finding is that long-term chocolate consumption seems to protect older adults from age-related cognitive decline. Those who ate dark chocolate every day for periods ranging from five days to three months experienced significant improvements in attention, verbal fluency, working memory, and processing speed. Even more promising, these startling results were the most significant in older adults who already faced deteriorating cognitive function or mild cognitive impairment.
Flavanols: The Secret Weapon in Cocoa
What is it about dark chocolate that marshals these remarkable health benefits? The key lies in flavanol compounds found in cocoa. Flavanols are natural antioxidant molecules present in various foods such as tea, red wine, and berries. They have a wide range of positive effects on human health, particularly cardiovascular health.
Cerebral blood flow and cognitive function
But flavanols in cocoa do something truly unique: they have been linked to improved blood flow in the brain. Flavanols boost nitric oxide and help reduce arterial stiffness, allowing for better blood flow. In turn, this increased blood flow is believed to enhance cognitive function.
“This result suggests the potential of cocoa flavanols to protect cognition in vulnerable populations over time by improving cognitive performance. If you look at the underlying mechanism, the cocoa flavanols have beneficial effects for cardiovascular health and can increase cerebral blood volume in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. This structure is particularly affected by aging and therefore the potential source of age-related memory decline in humans,” noted Valentina Socci and Michele Ferrara, the authors of the review from the University of L’Aquila in Italy.
A Daily Dose of Chocolate: How Much Is Too Much?
This promptly raises the question, is there an ideal daily dose of chocolate? Obviously, excessive consumption of chocolate is linked to well-documented health issues like weight gain, hypertension, and a risk of type 2 diabetes, not to mention tooth decay and other dental issues.
Modify your chocolate intake to maximize the benefits
The key, like so many aspects of daily life, lies in striking the right balance. Opt for chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa content. You’ll thus get the benefits of cocoa without the downside associated with milk chocolate and chocolate that is laden with added sugar. If you find the taste of high-cocoa chocolate overly bitter, look for dark chocolate sweetened with stevia, as it does not cause blood sugar to spike like sugar does.
Another way to maximize the health benefits of dark chocolate is to seek out combinations with herbs and spices like turmeric and cayenne, which are brain-boosters in their own right.
Chocolate in Perspective
The news about the cognitive benefits of chocolate is undoubtedly music to the ears of chocoholics out there, but it does not provide carte blanche to overindulge or neglect other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Moderation is key, and dark chocolate should be one component of a balanced diet.
To sum up, dark chocolate is not only a delicious dessert or a decadent treat – it’s a health food superstar in its own right. Next time you’re hankering for a snack, feel good about reaching for a healthy dose of the purest, darkest chocolate you can find. Your brain will thank you.
