21 April 2009

Chocolate is good for your brain

I never cease to be amazed by how many studies there are that prove that chocolate is good for you – I guess it goes to show that if you believe in something and work hard enough, eventually you will find the evidence to prove yourself right!

In this study, led by Professor David Kennedy of Northumbria University, 30 students were asked to count backwards in groups of 3 from a random number between 800 and 999. The study found that the students performed better if they had first had a large mug of cocoa, they also got less tired.

Interestingly the effects of the cocoa seemed less pronounced when the task was made more difficult.

The reason for the improvement is down to compounds found in chocolate called flavonols which cause the blood supply to the brain to increase – hence the improvement in performance and reduction in tiredness.

It should be noted that flavonols also occur naturally in fruit and vegetables, although conducting experiments using fruit and vegetables would be nowhere near as interesting!

Click here to read the full report in Confectionary News.

4 comments:

  1. Smart and fat or thick and thin. Sometimes life throws those tough choices at you!

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  2. You are mean to say that chocolate improves our memory power. Only the specified chocolates or all type of chocolates. I have read in one article that chocolates would affect our brain. I am not confident about the chocolate name. OK anyway i try for these chocolates.Brainhealthandpuzzles - Brain Effects Chocolate

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  3. Chocolate is known to contain many chemicals that include stimulants that excite the opioid and cannabinoid receptors and lead to a feeling of well-being and happiness, flavonols that increase the rate at which blood flows through the brain and can improve memory recall and caffeine that can improve alertness.

    These "benefits" are not linked to any particular brand but it is known that dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate.

    However, for anyone wanting to improve their brain, I am sure that reading a book will be far more valuable than eating chocolate. On the other hand, if chocolate is a vice, it's nice to have an excuse.

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  4. Incredible I did not know it!!

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