New Study Reveals How Chocolate Can Benefit the Brain

A dose of chocolate a day can keep Alzheimer’s at bay. That’s according to a study by the American Heart Association. Researchers found consuming cocoa every day helped improve mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can progress to dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Ninety people 70-plus who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were split into three groups of 30 and daily were given high, medium or low doses of a cocoa drink containing flavanols. Flavanols are linked to lower dementia risk and can be found in cocoa products such as dark chocolate. Other sources of flavanols were reduced or taken out of the participants’ diets.

After the eight-week study, researchers observed those who had high and medium doses daily had better cognitive scores, including working memory.