Six squares of dark chocolate a day ‘may keep the memory loss at bay’
Six pieces of dark chocolate a day ‘can keep memory loss at bay’ – as long as you wash it down with a cup of green tea, apples and berries
Eating chocolate could be good for your brain, scientists said today.
Powerful compounds lurking in chocolate – especially dark varieties – have now been found to boost memory.
Flavanols, as they are called, are also abundant in apples, berries and green tea.
Researchers at Harvard and Columbia University found that memory benefits came from consuming 500 mg of flavanols daily, in the form of a supplement.
Yet independent experts in nutrition and preventive medicine have claimed that this amount is “easily achievable” through diet.
Powerful compounds lurking in chocolate – especially dark varieties – have now been found to boost memory
Professor Aedin Cassidy, from Queen’s University Belfast, said: ‘This is a very important study showing that a dose of flavonoids called flavanols… is the key to improving memory in the aging brain.
“The dose required for these improvements in brain health is easily achievable.
“A mug of tea, six pieces of dark chocolate, a few servings of berries and apples would add up to about 500mg.”
An apple alone can contain about 10 mg.
The study, published in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved an average of more than 3,500 adults, who averaged their 70s. Most were already eating a healthy diet packed with flavanols.
Participants received either a 500 mg flavanol supplement or a dummy pill daily for three years.
Throughout the study, volunteers had to complete various memory tests and surveys about their diet.
Memory scores improved only slightly for the group taking the flavanol pill.
But greater benefits were seen in a subgroup of people who had a poor diet and low flavanol consumption at the start of the study.
Their memory scores improved by about 10 percent more than their peers who took a placebo, the results showed.
However, researchers stressed that flavanols “have no effect on people who are not deficient.”
Professor Adam Brickman, a neuropsychologist at Columbia University, argued that the findings “raise the possibility of using flavanol-rich diets or supplements to improve cognitive function in older adults.”
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an expert in nutrition and nutrition science at the University of Reading and co-investigator of the study, described the findings as “exciting”.
He said the results “suggest that there is an optimal amount of flavanols in the diet,” which equates to a daily intake of about 500 mg.
But not everyone agrees.
Professor David Curtis, from University College London, said the study showed that ‘those taking a flavanol supplement for many years had approximately the same memory function as those taking a placebo and any differences were within chance expectation’.
He added: ‘The authors do claim that some of the results are statistically significant, but in my opinion this is because the analyzes were performed incorrectly.
‘In any case, this study shows that flavanol supplements do not have a major effect on memory function.
“The study provides no evidence that increasing flavanol intake is beneficial and it is not necessary for anyone to consider changing their diet in light of the findings.”
The study was funded by Mars, which has its own range of cocoa flavanol products.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat muesli biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and a large baked potato with skin
• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat, lower-sugar options
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day
• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide