The research team from the University of L'Aquila, Italy, found that cocoa can actually have beneficial health effects on the brain, especially the flavanols found in chocolate.
The study indicated that flavanols enhanced memory, enhanced visual information processing, and even counteracted the effects of sleep deprivation, during the experiments conducted on participants.
In the elderly, long-term intake of cocoa flavanols improved attention, mental processing, working memory and verbal fluency, and was most beneficial in those who had mild cognitive impairments or early amnesia.
The results also revealed that women consuming cocoa after a night of total sleep deprivation prevented cognitive impairment associated with lack of sleep.
The researchers confirmed that flavanols also enhanced normal cognitive performance in healthy people without onset of amnesia, and the compounds had a protective role in cognitive performance.
Researchers say cocoa has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health and can increase blood volume in the brain, which mainly affects brain strength and enhances its age-related cognitive abilities.
The researchers recommend eating regular amounts of cocoa and dark chocolate, which can positively affect cognitive performance over time.
However, there are potential side effects from ingesting cocoa and chocolate, generally related to the calorific value of chocolate, certain chemical compounds inherent in the cocoa plant such as caffeine and theobromine, and a variety of additives to chocolate such as sugar or milk.