ACCRA, Aug 13- A study has shown that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help aging brains remain sharp and healthy.
The study, conducted by Harvard Medical School researchers and published in the online issue of Neurology journal, said after putting people on a diet of two cups of hot chocolate a day for 30 days, the amount of blood flow to participants’ brains were measured as they undertook memory and cognitive tests.
While there was no measurable difference in blood flow or test results among those with regular blood flow, researchers noted an eight per cent improvement in blood flow among the 18 participants who started the experiment with impaired blood flow.
In addition to improved blood flow to working areas of the brain, the participants also improved their times on a memory test, dropping from 167 seconds to 116 seconds by the end of the experiment, the researchers said.
Study results suggest that different compounds in chocolate could play a role, given that although half the group received a hot chocolate enriched with the antioxidant flavanol, while the other received flavanol-poor hot cocoa, scientists found no clear difference between the two.
The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between neurovascular coupling and cognitive function in elderly individuals with vascular risk factors and to determine whether neurovascular coupling could be modified by cocoa consumption.
The study concluded there is a strong correlation between neurovascular coupling and cognitive function, and both can be improved by regular cocoa consumption in individuals with baseline impairments.
– BERNAMA
