Chocoholics rejoice: cocoa boosts memory, researchers say

Chocolate lovers have long been hoping for scientific evidence that chocolate is good for you. And here it is: researchers from the University of L’Aquila in Italy and Mars Incorporated have found evidence that regular consumption of dietary cocoa flavanols may improve cognitive function in elderly subjects with early memory decline.

The study, published in the journal Hypertension, examined the effect of regular cocoa flavanol consumption on cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). While cocoa flavanols have been shown to help support circulation and cardiovascular health, the study builds on previous research that suggests cocoa flavanols may benefit the brain.

“For the first time, regular cocoa flavanol consumption has been shown to positively affect cognitive function in older adults with early memory decline,” said Dr Giovambattista Desideri, author of the study and Director of the Geriatric Division of the University of L’Aquila.

“Importantly, the improvements in cognitive function were seen over a relatively short period of time; and, while further research is required to confirm and expand on these findings, this provides encouraging evidence that regular consumption of cocoa flavanols might be effective in improving cognitive function in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment. The findings provide promising indications that the development of novel dietary approaches for improving health as we age - especially cognitive health - is a real possibility.”

The study

The researchers based the study on the hypothesis that regular consumption of cocoa flavanols would positively affect cognitive performance in people with MCI, which is a condition in which people experience greater memory loss than is expected for their age but is not so severe as to impact on daily activities. Up to 20% of people over 65 have MCI and more than 6% of people aged 70 to 89 develop MCI each year.

The study saw 90 healthy older people with MCI consume a cocoa flavanol drink that contained high (HF), intermediate (IF) or low (LF) amounts of cocoa flavanols (approximately 990, 520 or 45 mg of flavanols respectively). The participants consumed the drink once a day for eight weeks but did not change their diets otherwise.

The taste and appearance of all the drinks was the same and they were calorically and nutritionally matched, enabling the blinding of product identities throughout the study. The HF and IF drinks were produced by Mars using its Cocoapro process, while the LF drink was made with a highly processed, alkalised cocoa powder.

Testing

Cognitive function was assessed by means of standard tests examining aspects of memory, cognitive processing speed, executive function and global cognition. The tests revealed some interesting results.

The HF and IF groups showed up to a 30% reduction in time required to complete tests examining processing speed, working memory and executive function. The groups also scored higher on the verbal fluency test (VFT) and had higher z scores, demonstrating an improvement in overall cognitive function.

Most significantly, the LF group showed no evidence of improvement in z scores and little improvement in the VFT compared with the HF and IF groups.

Blood pressure was significantly reduced in the HF and IF groups, which is consistent with previous studies on cocoa flavanols and blood pressure. Insulin resistance was also reduced in individuals within the groups and was strongly linked to cognitive function improvement, suggesting glucose metabolism may play an influential role in cognitive function.

Benefits for an ageing population

“We already understand how important diet is to health and previous research has provided consistent evidence of the benefits of cocoa flavanol consumption for cardiovascular health,” said Catherine Kwik-Uribe, a study author and R&D Director at Mars Botanical.

“The results of this latest research build on these earlier findings and provide promising indication that diets that contain cocoa flavanols may offer significant benefits as we age. This is of great interest given the ageing populations in much of the developed world.”

Harold Schmitz, Executive Director of the Mars Center for Cocoa Health Science, said the study has improved understanding of cocoa flavanols and may one day lead to dietary recommendations for cocoa flavanol intake.

So there’s good and bad news for all the chocoholics out there. On the one hand, chocolate consumption could soon be considered part of a healthy diet. On the other, you might have to wait until your memory starts to falter before the doctor prescribes a family-sized block of chocolate. No doubt self-medication for MCI will go through the roof.