Cocoa Tied to Improved Brainpower in Seniors

Chocoholics rejoice.

Chocolate may help improve brain health and retention in the eldery, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. The preliminary new study linked two cups of hot cocoa a day to improved memory function in seniors by boosting blood circulation to the brain.

"We're learning more about blood flow in the brain and its effect on thinking skills," said lead author Dr Farzaneh Sorond, from Harvard Medical School. "As different areas of the brain need more energy to complete their tasks, they also need greater blood flow. This relationship, called neurovascular coupling, may play an important role in diseases such as Alzheimer's."

The study observed 60 patients with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia. While the early results look promising, researchers said they have not proved cocoa directly helped the patients with lower blood flow and that long-term effects are still unknown. They also added that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day could cause or worsen obesity, which is linked to declining brain function.

"Before we recommend cocoa, it's important to go back and figure out what's in it that's doing this and make sure it's sustainable," said Sorond. "I'd prefer people wait until we figure out how to get the benefit without the calories, sugar and fat that comes in cocoa."

Each patient drank two cups of hot cocoa for a month and did not consume any other chocolate during the study. Before and after the study, each participant took a memory and reasoning test, which helped demonstrate their ability to recognize patterns in a series of letters. The researchers also used ultrasound to assess blood flow to the participants' brains and and an MRI to see white matter, or the nerve fibers that connect different parts of their brains.

The participants who performed poorly on the memory and reasoning test—about one-third—also proved to have reduced blood flow to their brains and white matter damage. Those who performed well on the test had significantly better blood flow and intact white matter, which proved a link between cognitive functioning and brain power for the researchers.

At the conclusion of the trial, the cocoa only helped the patients with poor cognitive and neurovascular function from the start. These individuals showed an 8% improvement in blood flow and a roughly 1 minute faster reaction time on the cognitive task.