Some elderly people may benefit mentally from drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day, researchers reported last night.
Researchers say hot chocolate helps improve blood flow to the brain, helping the elderly to stay mentally sharp.
The US-based study found chocolate only helped people who already had impaired blood flow to the brain.
They also found that levels of the anti-oxidant flavanol in the cocoa made no different to the effects of the "treatment."
The findings, reported in the journal Neurology, come from a study involving 60 elderly people, of whom 18 had impaired blood flow. Researchers found that hot chocolate improved blood flow and led to major improvements in patients’ memories.
Researcher Dr Farzaneh Sorond, of Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, said: “We’re learning more about blood flow in the brain and its effect on thinking skills.
"As different areas of the brain need more energy to complete their tasks, they also need greater blood flow. This relationship, called neurovascular coupling, may play an important role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s."
Writing in the journal Dr Paul Rosenberg, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA, says: "More work is needed to prove a link between cocoa, blood flow problems and cognitive decline. But this is an important first step that could guide future studies."
Neurology 8 August 2013
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