Could chocolate be good for your brain
25 Nov 2013

Could chocolate be good for your brain?

1 mins to read
I have a confession to make – I’m hooked on the sweet stuff. That’s right – my name is Charmaine, and I’m a chocoholic!


I’ve been known to hoard, hide, beg, borrow and binge on the stuff and no matter how hard I try to give it up – it always manages to sneak back into my life.

So can you imagine how happy I was when I recently read this heading in an email that was reviewing a new clinical trial – “Chocolate May Help Keep Brain Healthy”?

I thought it was too good to be true – but after a little reading it turns out that chocolate may really be good for your brain.

The study published in Neurology investigated the effect of cocoa on cognitive function in 60 older people with risk factors for cardiovascular disease over a period of 30 days. During this time half the group consumed 2 cups of flavonoid-rich cocoa each day, while the other half of the group consumed flavonoid-poor cocoa. Researchers had all 60 people undertake memory and thinking skills tests before and after the study period, and they also performed ultrasounds on them to measure the amount of blood flowing through different sections of the brain.

The results suggested that consuming 2 cups of cocoa a day may improve blood flow to the brain. This in turn this could help to improve cognitive function in those people that had impaired blood flow at the beginning of the study.

So – am I advocating that you eat a family size block of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate a day? Probably not (as much as I’d like to some days!).

But I think a few squares of good quality dark chocolate could be helpful.

Or if you’re feeling creative why not make your own healthy hot cocoa?

Here’s an easy recipe to get you started:

  • Combine some good quality cacao powder, with some stevia.
  • Heat some milk of your choice (I love making mine with almond milk, or coconut milk) in a saucepan, and then slowly add your cacao/stevia mixture.
  • Mix in some vanilla extract, and remove from the heat.
  • Pour into your favourite mug – then enjoy on the lounge with a good book!


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