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- Drinking hot chocolate could have benefits for your brain, according to a new study.
- This is because flavanols, a type of nutrient found in plants, could help increase your blood oxygen levels, which is linked to better cognitive health and performance, and to improve heart health and circulatory.
- Flavanols are also found in tea, apples, berries, red wine, and some vegetables like onions, kale, and hot peppers.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
A cup of hot chocolate is not only a welcome treat on a cold winter’s day, but could help stimulate your brain, suggests a small new stucher.
Flavanols, a type of nutrient found in cocoa, may improve blood oxygen levels in the brain and are linked to cognitive benefits, according to a small study published this week in Scientific Reports.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign examined 18 healthy adult men who passed two increasingly difficult cognitive tests. Participants were tested after receiving either a flavanol-rich cocoa drink or a processed cocoa placebo drink without flavanols.
The study found that participants who drank flavanol-rich cocoa performed much better on cognitive tests, completing them 11% faster on average than when they drank the placebo.
Cocoa Could Boost Blood Circulation To Improve Mental Performance
The researchers also tested the oxygen levels in the blood of participants during the tests by having them breathe a higher concentration of carbon dioxide, a procedure that helps measure the response of blood flow in the brain.
They found that participants had better oxygen levels in their brains after consuming the flavanols. These results suggest that flavanols may improve cognitive ability by improving blood flow and increasing the amount of oxygen in the brain.
“Our results showed a clear benefit for the participants taking the flavanol-fortified drink – but only when the task became complicated enough,” said Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, lead author of the study and professor of nutrition at the University. from Birmingham. Release. “We can relate this to our results on improving blood oxygenation – if you are challenged more, your brain needs improved blood oxygen levels to handle that challenge.
Previous research supports the health benefits of flavanols
Although this study is small, it is supported by existing evidence that flavanols have cognitive benefits.
A 2017 study found that flavanol-rich cocoa was linked to improved blood flow, including to the brain, which was found to be beneficial for memory, processing speed, attention and mental performance. overall.
Cocoa in particular has been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, according to a 2013 study.
There is also some evidence that foods rich in flavanols, including cocoa and tea, have blood circulation benefits in the body, including lowering blood pressure as effectively as specialized diets.
Plant foods like cocoa and tea are high in many types of antioxidants, including flavanols, so more research is needed to better understand which compounds are specifically linked to which benefits.
This latest study was also limited in that it tested flavanols on healthy young men. Future research will need to test the effects of these nutrients on different populations, including women, the elderly, and people with existing illnesses, to see if the benefits are consistent.
It’s not just cocoa – tea, red wine, berries and apples are also rich in flavanols
Cocoa is just one example of a food rich in flavanols. The nutrients are also found in a variety of other plants, including tea, apples, berries, and vegetables like kale, onions, and hot peppers.
You can also get a flavanol supplement from grapes or from drinking red wine, according to previous studies.
The results of this study therefore suggest that people might see the cognitive benefits of flavanols by consuming all of the above, from sipping tea to munching blueberries.
“We used cocoa in our experience, but flavanols are extremely common in a wide range of fruits and vegetables,” Rendeiro said. “By better understanding the cognitive benefits of consuming these food groups, as well as the broader cardiovascular benefits, we can offer improved advice to people on how to get the most from their food choices.
Read more:
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