A recent study revealed that drinking cocoa can lead to increased mental agility thanks to the presence of flavanols, which are abundant in cocoa beans.
Researchers from the United Kingdom and the United States found that healthy adults performed better on challenging cognitive tasks if participants consumed a cocoa drink containing high levels of flavanols.
After drinking flavanol-rich cocoa, the participants produced a faster and greater increase in blood oxygenation in the frontal cortex( a brain region that plays a key role in perception and decision-making), and helped them complete these tasks.
Flavanols are antioxidants that are abundant in tea, berries, apples, pears, cherries and peanuts, as well as in cocoa tree seeds, or cocoa beans.
By enriching market cocoa with flavanols, food producers can help us increase the brain-boosting phytonutrients in our diet.
It is noteworthy that flavanols are already known for their beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
But this new study is the first to discover the positive effect of flavanols on blood vessel function in the brain and cognitive performance in healthy adults, the researchers claim.
"Flavanols are small molecules found in many fruits and vegetables, and cocoa as well. They give fruits and vegetables their bright color and are known to benefit the function of blood vessels. We wanted to know if they were compounds," said study author Dr. Katharina Rendero of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Flavanols also benefit the blood vessels in the brain, and whether they have a positive effect on cognitive function.
Dr. Rendero conducted a research with professors of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States, he recruited 18 adult males between the ages of 18 and 40.
All 18 participants were non-smokers and did not suffer from brain, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.
The results showed that "The maximum oxygen levels were three times higher in the flavanol-rich cocoa versus the low-flavanol cocoa, and the oxygen response was about one minute faster," said Dr. Rendero.
After consuming cocoa flavanols, participants performed better on the more difficult cognitive tests, solving problems correctly 11% faster than they did initially or when they consumed cocoa with reduced flavanols.
However, there was no perceptible difference in performance on the easier tasks. "This indicates that flavanols may only be beneficial during cognitive tasks that are more difficult," says Dr. Rendero.
The researchers also found that the participants differed in their responses to cocoa flavanols and although most people did benefit from consuming flavanols, there was a small group that did not.
Four of the 18 participants did not have meaningful differences in the brain's oxygen response after consuming flavanols, and their performance did not improve on the tests.
But these four participants actually had the highest oxygen responses at baseline. "This may indicate that those who are already in good shape have little room for improvement," said Dr. Rendero.
Overall, the results indicate that improvements in vascular activity following exposure to flavanols are associated with improved cognitive function.
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