Frontotemporal dementia symptoms include 'changes in personality'

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The risk of cognitive loss grows sharply with age, but there is evidence a healthy lifestyle may offset this risk. A healthy diet is one of many factors that have shown promise for brain health. Now new research has suggested one food to the diet may increase brain blood flow, thereby decreasing the risk of dementia.

A new study has reinforced the previous evidence of the promising effects of dark chocolate on cognitive health.

Researchers conducting the study wrote: “Although stress causes brain dysfunction, consumption of dark chocolate has positive effects on brain functions.

“The current study investigated the impact of different dark chocolate dietary patterns on synaptic potency and plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area, as well as food intake and body weight in rats under chronic isolation.

“Experiments were conducted on 35 rats divided not five groups of even, each of which was fed dark cholesterol while put under chronic isolation stress.

The researchers found that all the dark chocolate dietary patterns reduced both the rats’ food intake and their weight.

“Food intake and body weight decreased significantly in all dark chocolate groups,” wrote the researchers.

But the strongest effects were those caused by compulsory and restricted dietary patterns.

Further research would be needed on humans to validate the clinical relevance.

“If their results were confirmed in future studies involving humans, they would offer evidence of the positive effects of coca on the brain and on cognitive abilities,” reported MedicalXpress.

Previous research has put the protective effects of chocolate down to flavonols, which protect cells and increase blood flow around the brain.

A report published in the journal Hypertension suggested this could slow the progression of decline as well.

In 2018, the research found that the intake of 6.8 grams of dark chocolate was enough to cause notable changes in brain electrical activity after just 30 minutes of intake.

“It has been postulated that the acute cognitive effects appear a few minutes after dark chocolate intake and can be mediated indirectly by vascular mechanisms that cause an increase in cerebral blood flow,” noted the scientist.

Flavonoids abundant in chocolate have previously been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, and previous research has found them in brain regions involved in the process of attention, and working memory.

The researchers continued: “Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, with its high content of flavonoids, has proven to be a promising food in terms of its cardiovascular effects.

“Recently, some studies have reported cognitive effects after intake of dark chocolate, specifically on attention and working memory.”

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