Study finds chocolate improves your brain

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Now there's another reason to indulge. Chocolate is good for the brain!

Research shows consuming cocoa, in this study drinking hot chocolate, may boost brain power in older adults.

The people in the study drank two cups a day for a month. Tests showed the folks who had impaired flow at the start of the study had about an 8% improvement afterwards.

"Substantially actually, not back to normal, but it was a nice statistical improvement," said Dr. Franz Messerli, of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.

Tests also showed memory and thinking skills got sharper.

"Chocolate releases nitrate oxide and that improves vascular health, not only in the brain but also in the heart and else and improved blood flow improves memory," Dr. Messerli said.

However, there was no improvement in those who didn't have a problem with blood flow.

It's believed the caffeine and antioxidants, like flavinol, in chocolate also helps to improve blood flow.

Cocoa is a powerhouse, even when compared to other antioxidant-rich foods.

Dr. Messerli is well familiar with research on chocolate.

He did a study last year published in the New England Journal of Medicine on chocolate consumption and Nobel laureates; the results showed countries where people eat the most chocolate also have the highest number of Nobel laureates per capita.

Dark chocolate is the best choice for most because it has more flavinols than regular chocolate and remember, chocolate has lots of sugar and that means you're also increasing your calorie consumption.

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health news, dr. jay adlersberg

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