Is it true that chocolate stimulates the brain?

It is widely believed that the use of chocolate improves brain activity. We decided to check if this statement has a scientific justification.

Information that chocolate Improves Cognitive functions and stimulates brain work, can be found in Blogsdedicated to this product, V online stores sweets, on portals about sports And style life and even on sites pharmacy networks. Write About this and some Media. In the services of questions and answers, users are interested in, Which chocolate stimulates the brain and How many It needs to be eaten for this.

By statistics, at least relevant for 2012, the most Nobel laureates were most in those countries where the level of chocolate consumption was the highest. In the first place in these two indicators, which is not surprising, was Switzerland. Despite the fact that other scientists put this study under doubt (First of all, because it did not take into account the food habits of the winners themselves), perhaps some rational grain in it still is.

In Apple pie order Contained About 1,500 different chemical components, and some of them are quite useful. So, for example, chocolate and other cocoa-containing products are a powerful source flavonoids, plant antioxidantswhich, when used, accumulate in the parts of the brain. They are responsible for training and memory and can play protective function, preventing degenerative processes and protecting neurons from the action of neurotoxins. It is worth noting that flavonoids Contained Not only in chocolate, but also in wine, tea, fruits and vegetables, therefore, perhaps for someone this is the most pleasant way to get them, but far from the only one.

Scientists have summarized the results of dozens of research and found outthat the use of chocolate with a high content of flavonoids can improve blood flow to the brain in young people, which, in turn, positively affects cognitive functions and memory.

Jan MacDonald, physiologist from Nottingham University, spent study, which confirmed that the use of one cocoa cocoa is able to stimulate brain function for several hours. To confirm this hypothesis, he carried out magnetic resonance tomography of the brain of the subjects and recorded the increased activity of some parts of the brain. It was caused again by an improvement in blood circulation and, as a result, an increase in oxygen access to brain cells.

Despite the fact that this area needs additional large -scale research, scientists have grounds To believe that the use of cocoa polyphenols can prevent the progression of light cognitive disorders before dementia in elderly patients. And the study of Colombian University showedthat flavonoids in chocolate are able to not only prevent dementia, but also turn back the age -related deterioration of memory.

Scientists of the University of Loma Linda (USA) investigated The effect of the use of 48 g of chocolate with the content of cocoa 70% on brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG). The measurements were taken twice - 30 minutes after taking chocolate and two hours later. In the first case, a significant increase in brain activity was recorded, in the second - an already residual effect.

Only 16 people took part in the McDonald study, five scientists from Loma University of Linda - five, which does not allow us to consider their results quite representative. But scientists from the University of Oslo in Norway took a wider sample - more than 2000 people, all over 70 years old - and invited them to use products containing flavonoids, and then pass a number of cognitive tests. Since these substances are found not only in chocolate, they also included in study Wine and tea. Participants who used one of these products showed higher results when passing tests than those who did not do this. But those who included all three products in their food were the best results. The maximum efficiency was achieved when using approximately 10 g of chocolate and about 75–100 ml of wine per day. The amount of tea drunk on the results practically did not affect.

Italian scientists Confirm The conclusions of their Norwegian and British colleagues: having studied the results of existing studies, they came to the conclusion that the use of chocolate stimulates the cognitive function in the short term and protects the brain cells in a long -term. To the same conclusions American researchers who studied health indicators, including food habits of almost 1000 people, also came. They found out that those who ate chocolate at least once a week showed significantly higher cognitive abilities than those who avoided it.

However, it is worth MarkThe fact that significant benefits for cognitive function can only be discussed in relation to a bitter dark chocolate with a high content of cocoa - more than 70%. Chocolate bars or white chocolate that does not contain cocoa at all, in this sense are useless. In addition to stimulating brain function, dark chocolate Maybe Also help reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and reduce stress. 

However, everything is good in moderation. In 100 g of dark chocolate Contained About 600 kcal and 30 g of sugar. The calorie content of milk chocolate is about the same, but here content sugar above - about 50 g. And this is the maximum dose of sugar per day for an adult, which Recommends adhere to the WHO. It is worth considering, however, that sugar is also contained in many other food products, therefore, if you eat 100 g of chocolate (the standard tile weighs) per day, the norm will definitely be exceeded.

Thus, modern scientific studies indicate that chocolate really positively affects the cognitive functions of the brain due to the flavonoids contained in it. At the same time, this is only about dark chocolate with a high content of cocoa, and not at all about sweets in chocolate glaze, white chocolate or other products with the taste of chocolate. At the same time, scientists agree that for an unambiguous answer to the question of whether chocolate is really so useful for brain functioning, additional extensive studies are needed.

Most likely, the truth

What do our verdicts mean?

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