Cocoa May Help Keep the Brain Young

Certain compounds in cocoa, called flavanols, may help sharpen the aging brain. A new study in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, showed that consuming cocoa flavanols every day may improve mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—an age-related decline in memory that sometimes worsens into Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, 90 older adults with MCI drank a daily beverage spiked with varying amounts of cocoa flavanols. After eight weeks, those who consumed higher-flavanol drinks showed improvement on tests of memory, mental processing speed, and general mental ability. Their overall health improved as well, shown by drops in blood pressure and insulin resistance.

Past research had found strong evidence for a link between brain health and flavanol consumption in healthy individuals. “However, our study is the first to address the relationship between cocoa flavanols and cognitive function in the context of MCI,” says lead author Giovambattista Desideri, MD, of the University of L’Aquila in Italy.

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Chocolate on the Brain

Cocoa—the source of chocolate—may affect brain health several ways. Previous studies suggest that flavanols may increase the number and strength of connections between brain cells. They may also reduce the loss of brain cells due to degenerative disease.

Plus, this study suggests that cocoa flavanols may decrease insulin resistance—the body’s ability to respond to and use the hormone. Insulin resistance is an early step on the path toward type 2 diabetes. There’s also mounting evidence for a link between insulin resistance in the brain and the mental decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Desideri says, “Alzheimer’s disease is even referred to by some as type 3 diabetes.”

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Some Cocoa Is Just So-So

Cocoa beans are used to make chocolate and powdered cocoa. But different varieties of cocoa beans contain differing levels of flavanols to start with. Then they go through various types of roasting and processing before being made into finished foods. Along the way, they may be combined with other ingredients, such as whole milk and sugar, which add calories.

Ultimately, the flavanol content and calorie count of chocolate products can vary widely. The chocolate and cocoa you find on supermarket shelves differs from the drink used in this study as well. “In order to limit calorie intake in the current study, we used not chocolate, but rather a lower-calorie, nutritionally balanced product rich in cocoa flavanols,” Dr. Desideri says.

Tips for Chocolate Lovers

If you choose to eat chocolate, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends picking the darkest variety you can find. The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa solids it contains—and that’s where researchers think the healthy compounds are found. In contrast, milk chocolate contains fewer of these solids, and white chocolate contains none at all. If you drink hot chocolate, the NIH suggests making it with unsweetened cocoa, water or skim milk, and little added sugar.

Even dark chocolate packs about 155 to 170 calories per ounce, so consume it sparingly. And, sadly, it’s wise to forgo the extra calories that come from the fillings in truffles or that dollop of whipped cream on hot chocolate.

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