Wednesday August 15, 2012

Cocoa Flavanols Improve Brain Function

Germantown, MD — Regular consumption of cocoa flavanols improves cognitive ability in adults with age-related memory loss, according to researchers at Italy’s University of L’Aquila.

According to the researchers, adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment who regularly consumed cocoa flavanol drinks had faster response times on cognitive tests and experienced reduced blood pressure and reduced insulin resistance.

Catherine Kwik-Uribe, R&D director for Mars Botanical and an author of the study, says: “The results of this latest research build on earlier findings and provide promising indication that diets that contain cocoa flavanols may offer significant benefits as we age. This is of great interest given the aging populations in much of the developed world.”