Chocolate may help keep brain healthy, sharp in old age, study says

LOS ANGELES — Older chocoholics may have a new excuse to indulge their cravings: The dark stuff not only soothes the soul, but might also sharpen the mind.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, researchers reported that chocolate may help improve brain health and thinking skills in the elderly. The Boston-based team found that older people who initially performed poorly on a memory and reasoning test and also had reduced blood flow to their brains showed improvement after drinking two cups of cocoa every day for a month.

The researchers had set out to test whether chocolate could increase blood flow to the brain during problem solving, boosting performance, after finding in earlier studies that consuming chocolate high in the antioxidant flavanol was associated with better brain and blood vessel functioning. They recruited 60 elderly subjects for the new study. Since they suspected that flavanol would improve the subjects’ thinking skills and blood flow, they randomly assigned subjects to drink either flavanol-rich or flavanol-poor hot chocolate.

The participants drank two cups of hot chocolate every day for 30 days. Before and after the study period, they completed a memory and reasoning test, which assessed their ability to recognize patterns in a series of letters on a computer screen. Additionally, the researchers used ultrasound to indirectly measure the blood flow to subjects’ brains, as well as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to examine subjects’ white matter — the nerve fibers that connect different parts of the brain.

People who performed poorly on the initial cognitive test — about a third of the participants — also had reduced blood flow to their brains and widespread white matter damage. Those who scored high on the test had significantly better blood flow and more intact white matter, indicating that blood flow, cognitive functioning and brain structure were linked.

At the end of the 30 days, the team found that drinking hot chocolate benefited only the subjects who had poor cognitive and neurovascular function to begin with. After the hot cocoa regimen, those individuals showed an 8 percent improvement in blood flow and a roughly 1 minute faster reaction time on the cognitive task. There was barely any improvement among those who had started out with normal blood flow and cognitive skills.

To the scientists’ surprise, there weren’t significant differences in the neurovascular or cognitive changes between the flavanol-rich and flavanol-poor groups – suggesting that something else in the chocolate was causing the improvements. The researchers plan to identify and test this component in future trials, said study leader Dr. Farzaneh A. Sorond, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

After identifying the substance, the researchers may even be able to produce it in pill form, said Dr. Costantino Iadecola, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

By showing that blood flow to the brain is associated with cognitive function, the study helps explain earlier findings that people with high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions were prone to developing dementia. This, in turn, suggests that the cognitive functioning test and other measures used in the trial may one day serve as cheap, noninvasive methods to screen people for risk of dementia.

Scientists have focused more on treating than on preventing age-related cognitive decline, Sorond said.

“By the time people develop these problems, it’s too late to initiate the drugs we have,” she said. “If we could diagnose them earlier, before they have clinical symptoms, using physiological markers maybe we could prevent the disease or lessen its impact.”

The study has its limitations. The ultrasound technique the researchers used offered only an estimate of blood flow to the brain — a precise measurement would require a more invasive method. “This was an easy way to get this information, but not the most accurate way,” Iadecola said.

He added that the study was small, and that it was unclear how long the chocolate’s effects would last.

“Will these changes persist after a month of cocoa or go back to where they were before? Would you take the cocoa forever?” Iadecola said. “We don’t know.”

Although the study results may tempt some to add chocolate to their diet, Sorond noted that the participants’ food intake was strictly regulated to offset the excess fat and sugar in hot chocolate. For people seeking to keep their brains healthy, she recommends an intervention already known to improve cognitive function: exercise.

—-

&Copy;2013 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

—————

Topics: t000171568,t000035070,t000170797,t000016243,t000016228

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Employees and patrons of the Everett Mall signed a timeline mural that traces the history of the 51-year-old indoor mall that was once considered the premier place to go shopping in the city. Thursday, March 20, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Mall mural offers nostalgic trip into the past

Past and present Everett Mall employees joined customers Thursday to view an artistic timeline of the once popular shopping mecca.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen gives his State of the City address on Thursday, March 20 in Edmonds, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor talks budget at 2025 State of the City

Mayor Mike Rosen discussed the city’s deficit and highlights from his first year in office.

Daron Johnson, who runs Snohomish County Scanner, stands next to his scanner setup on Tuesday, April 1 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Snohomish County law enforcement to encrypt police airwaves

The plan for civilian police scanners to go dark pushed a host to shut down his popular breaking news feed.

Richie Gabriel, 1, jumps off the bottom of the slide as Matthew Gabriel looks down at him from the play structure at Hummingbird Hill Park on Monday, March 31, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds residents show up for Hummingbird Hill Park, Frances Anderson Center

After a two-and-a-half hour public comment session, the council tabled its votes for the two comprehensive plan amendments.

Students Haddie Shorb, 9, left, and brother Elden Shorb, 11, right, lead the ground breaking at Jackson Elementary School on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett district breaks ground on Jackson Elementary replacement

The $54 million project will completely replace the aging elementary school. Students are set to move in by the 2026-27 school year.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Another positive measles case identified in Snohomish County

The case was identified in an infant who likely contracted measles while traveling, the county health department said.

A Tesla drives along 41st Street on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Washington faces uncertain future of Clean Air Act regulations

The Trump administration’s attempt to roll back numerous vehicle pollution standards has left states wondering what’s next.

A person walks through the lot at Kia of Everett shopping for a car on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘The tariffs made me do it’: Customers move fast on cars

At one Everett dealership, customers move fast on cars ahead of Wednesday’s expected announcement on tariffs.

Public’s help needed to find missing Arlington man

The 21-year-old left the house Sunday night without his shoes, cell phone or a jacket, and was reported missing the following morning.

Will Geschke / The Herald
The Marysville Tulalip Campus on the Tulalip Reservation, where Legacy High School is located.
Marysville board votes to keep Legacy High at current location

The move rolls back a decision the school board made in January to move the alternative high school at the start of next school year.

The former Marysville City Hall building along State Avenue on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
City of Marysville, school board amend property exchange

The city will relocate its public works facility to the district’s current headquarters, which will move to the former City Hall.

Snohomish County Elections employees Alice Salcido, left and Joseph Rzeckowski, right, pull full bins of ballots from the Snohomish County Campus ballot drop box on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County to mail ballots for Edmonds, Brier elections

Registered voters should receive their ballots by April 9 for the April 22 special election.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.