The Los Angeles Times (8/8, Pandika) “Science Now” blog reports that according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the journal Neurology, cocoa appears to “help improve brain health and thinking skills in the elderly.” Researchers found that seniors “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 Cleveland Plain Dealer (8/8, Townsend) reports that researchers studied 60 seniors whose average age was 73. At study start, no participant had dementia, but 18 participants “had impaired blood flow.” During the study, all participants “drank two cups of hot cocoa per day,” but only half of the participants drank cocoa containing high levels of flavonol, an antioxidant. For the duration of the study, the participants’ only source of cocoa was what they were drinking. No other forms of cocoa or chocolate were consumed.
Related Links:
— “Chocolate may help keep brain healthy, sharp in old age, study says, “Melissa Pandika, Los Angeles Times, August 7, 2013.