Chocolate Improves Memory and Heart Health
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.
Can eating a chocolate bar every day really preventage-related memory loss?
No.
Can eating chocolate cake for breakfast, lunch anddinner be good for your heart?
Again, the answer is no.
That would be too good to be true.
But new research shows that large amounts offlavanols, substances found in cocoa, tea and somevegetables, may reverse age-related memory failure.Another study is looking to see if high levels of cocoaflavanols can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Flavanols found in dark chocolate are known toincrease blood flow in the part of the brain that controlsmemory. They also help prevent heart disease bylowering blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol.
A new study published online in Nature Neurosciencefound that cocoa flavanols reverse minor memory lossin older adults. A company that makes chocolatehelped to pay for the study.
Can chocolate improve memory?
Brain processes decrease as we age. By the time wereach our 50s and 60s we may have troubleremembering simple things such as the names of newpeople we meet or where we put our car keys.
Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology atColumbia University in New York City. He is the leadwriter of a research paper describing the effects ofcocoa flavanols on brain activity.
The study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavanol drinkmade from cocoa beans or a low-level flavanol drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900milligrams of flavanol a day. The others got 10milligrams of flavanol each day.
Brain imaging and memory tests were given to eachstudy subject before and after the study. Dr. Smallsays that the subjects who had the high-level flavanoldrink showed much improvement on memory tests.
Four-year study to dig deeper into healing powersof flavanol
The researchers warn that more work is neededbecause this study was performed on a small group.Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital inBoston, Massachusetts recently announced plans todo just that.
Dr. JoAnn Manson is the lead researcher of a four-yearstudy involving 18,000 adults. This study will useflavanol capsules.
“This capsule of cocoa flavanols will avoid having thecalories and the sugar and the saturated fat found inchocolate.”
The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills a day. The capsules will all look thesame. But, one group’s capsules will contain flavanols. The other group will take capsules made of an inactivesubstance, or placebo.
Dr. Manson says that a person would have to eat tentimes a normal amount to get the flavanols in just oneflavanol pill.
“The amount of chocolate that it would take in order tohave this amount of cocoa flavanols would be more than ten times the amountthat people would ordinarily eat.”
But Dr. Small says people should not necessarily start eating more chocolate. He says a person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get thelevel of flavanol given to the test subjects. He also says many manufacturersremove the flavanols from their chocolate products.
Dr. Small says a cocoa-based flavanol extract may be developed in thefuture. He says that more studies are needed to see how much flavanol isgood for human health.
I'm Anna Matteo.
Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English. It was based on reportsfrom VOA correspondents George Putic and Matthew Hilburn. Caty Weaverwas the editor.