Cocoa May Boost Brain's Blood Flow

(WebMD)  It's news we all want to hear - that eating chocolate is good for you. Well not quite, but an ingredient in some chocolates is showing promise in promoting blood flow to the brain.

The ingredient is flavanols, which are nutrients found in cocoa. Flavanols are considered to act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories on cells. These chemicals can protect cells and tissue from damage, which in turn protects against heart disease and cancer.

The research and similar studied were funded by Mars Inc., the maker of Snickers and other foods.

"The totality of the research on cocoa flavanols is impressive. This is just one more study adding to an increasing body of literature connecting regular cocoa flavanol consumption to blood flow and vascular health improvements throughout the body," according to news release comments from Harold Schmitz, chief science officer at Mars.

Schmitz says that flavanol-rich drinks or foods could be created to help slow brain decline as people age.

This study rounded up 34 healthy 59- to 83-year-olds. The average age was 72. None of the participants was a smoker or had diabetes or high blood pressure.

The participants were asked not to take in any caffeine, alcohol, or chocolate for at least 12 hours before being tested.

The participants were told to drink a special cocoa drink twice a day. Some drank a high-flavanol drink (450 milligrams). The other group got a low-flavanol drink (18 milligrams).

Study members drank their cocoa and then came to a hospital where researchers used ultrasound to see how well blood was flowing in the brain, specifically in the middle cerebral artery.

Flavanol and Blood Flow

After one week, blood flow measures increased 8 percent in the group that got the flavanol-rich drinks. After two weeks that went up to a 10 percent increase.

When comparing participants drinking the high-flavanol cocoa to those who drank the low-flavanol cocoa, there was an increase in measured blood flow.

The researchers write that flavanols could have a "promising role" in treating brain conditions such as stroke and dementia.

The findings are published in the journal Neuropychiatric Disease and Treatment.

By Kelley Colihan
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[r9119111]

You must not be using the correct search terms. Dark chocolate is generally what they are talking about in these studies as the lesser chocolates are processed more. Best thing to help you avoid alzheimers is a good diet rich in antioxidants (blueberries and pomegranates especially), exercise (cardio) and mental stimulation... reading, puzzles, learning new things, etc.

Posted by kevsan1 at 08:25 PM : Aug 23, 2008


Dr. Amen gives a lesson in practical neuroscience as a fund raiser for PBS television that verifies what you are saying. We can''t count on studies provided by the chocolate industry. In fact, Corporations have been misleading the public for so long that it is hard to believe anything they say anymore. Thank you for your comments.

[kevsan1]

You must not be using the correct search terms. Dark chocolate is generally what they are talking about in these studies as the lesser chocolates are processed more. Best thing to help you avoid alzheimers is a good diet rich in antioxidants (blueberries and pomegranates especially), exercise (cardio) and mental stimulation... reading, puzzles, learning new things, etc.

[baileyccc]

ademeyer I read your post. You won''t get help from main stream medicine. All they have are products that are synthetic and foreign to the body and the brain. The answer is the silica in your brain. You must increase it to obverse the toxicity of aluminum. Simply take horsetail twice a day. I strongly suggest that you read "Herbal Tonic Therapies" by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.

[ademeyer]

So, how does this translate into news you can use? Can you get this benefit by drinking cocoa every day, or was this an enhanced drink? My mom has Alzheimer''s and I am looking for nutritional information that may help me avoid that disease.