AFP – Cocoa has long been praised for its potential benefits on physical and mental health, from boosting well-being to enhancing brain function and protecting against free radicals.
However, are these claims all backed by science?
While numerous studies have investigated cocoa’s effects, the findings are often mixed.
The latest research may disappoint chocolate enthusiasts, as a daily cocoa extract supplement showed no significant impact on cognitive function – except in individuals with a poor-quality diet.
Though many studies have suggested benefits for the heart, memory, skin, and mental health, the results are not always definitive.
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States (US) decided to focus their research on the benefits of cocoa, and more specifically cocoa flavanols (natural compounds found in cocoa beans, renowned for their health benefits), on cognitive function.
To this end, they conducted their research among participants in the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (Cosmos), a large-scale study conducted in the US (21,442 older participants) to determine the impact of daily supplementation with cocoa extract on cardiovascular health, cancer and other diseases.
The researchers included 573 participants with an average age of 69.6 years in this specific research, who consumed a daily cocoa extract supplement containing 500 miligrammes (mg) of cocoa flavanols, or a placebo. They carried out cognitive tests at the start of the study, and again after two years.
NO BENEFIT FOR COGNITIVE FUNCTION
The scientists’ findings are bad news for chocolate lovers, since “cognitive benefits were not found among participants who already had healthy dietary patterns at the start of the study”, according to a news release summarising the research.
“Results from detailed neuropsychological assessments given over two years showed that daily cocoa extract supplementation, compared to placebo, had no overall benefits for global or domain-specific cognitive function.”
The researchers state that these results are consistent with the findings of a previous study on the subject.
Nevertheless, several scientific studies have concluded that flavanols are good for memory. Such were the findings of research presented in 2014 by scientists at Columbia University, and carried out on 37 healthy volunteers aged between 50 and 69.
On the basis of their research, the scientists suggested that cocoa flavanols had reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older people.
This group of participants had received a flavanol-rich diet, at 900mg of flavanols per day.
So could the key lie in the quantity absorbed?
AN EXCEPTION TO INVESTIGATE
It should be noted, however, that the more recent study, focusing on cognitive function, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported that a proportion of participants still benefited from the 500mg daily cocoa extract supplement.
Indeed, those whose diet was considered of poor quality – in other words, not very healthy – benefited from the cognitive advantages of flavanols.
This is something that the researchers do not elaborate on in their research summary, but which they intend to investigate further to determine a precise link.
In any case, if you like chocolate, there’s no question of depriving yourself of a chocolaty treat, provided – as always – that it is enjoyed in moderation.
