Study Finds Eating Chocolate Every Day Improves Memory

There is evidence that coco-flavonoids can improve cognitive function in humans by increasing blood flow. This study aimed to see if a dark chocolate bar could improve verbal memory and mood compared to a white chocolate bar. 98 young adults consumed either a dark chocolate or white chocolate bar, and their memory and mood were tested before and after consumption. There is good evidence that coco-flavonoids can acutely improve cognitive function in humans, possibly via mechanisms such as increased cerebral blood flow. To date, much of the evidence is based on measures of executive function with extracts and coco-based interventions with a high flavonoid content. The aim of the present study was to explore whether benefits to episodic verbal memory and mood are observed two hours post-consumption of a commercially available dark chocolate DC bar relative to a 35G white chocolate bar WC. 98 healthy young adults and 57 females aged 18 to 24 years consumed either a 35G DC bar or a calorie-matched low-flavonoid WC bar. Verbal episodic memory and mood were assessed pre-consumption and 2H post-consumption.