Scientists unveil benefits of cocoa for cognition

Cocoa flavanols protect humans against vascular disease, as evidenced by improvements in peripheral endothelial function, likely through nitric oxide signaling. Emerging evidence also suggests that flavanol-rich diets protect against cognitive aging, but mechanisms remain elusive.

According to Report, this is stated in an article by British and American scientists published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Specialists involved 18 people without any disease in their tests. The subjects were first given cocoa with a high-flavanol intervention and then a low one. After using cocoa, participants had to breathe in carbon dioxide, which allows the blood to deliver high oxygen to the brain.

Participants in the parallel experiment were asked to solve logical problems. The present study shows that cocoa flavanols lead to more efficient tissue oxygenation responses in the brain's frontal areas during a CO2-challenge in healthy young individuals.

These ingredients are also found in tea, grapes, and apples. American and British experts have concluded that the use of these products has a positive effect on mental activity and strengthens blood vessels' walls. It, in turn, helps to avoid dementia in old age.