Italian Scientists Determine: This Is What Will Happen to Your Brain If You Eat Dark Chocolate Every Day

Wonderful news for all chocolate lovers: Research conducted by scientists from the University of L'Aquila in Italy has found that not only is chocolate tasty, it is also highly beneficial for the brain and its cognitive functions.

"We discovered that chocolate is rich in antioxidants and iron, and its compounds have positive effects on the brain in the long term," say the researchers, adding that eating chocolate daily in a controlled quantity helps improve concentration levels, memory, and efficiency in information processing.

"Regular consumption of cocoa and chocolate can provide beneficial effects on cognitive function over time," says Italian author Valentina Sozzi, who also conducted her own study on the subject and published it in a local magazine. However, she cautions that "there are possible side effects of daily cocoa and chocolate consumption, generally related to the calorie content of chocolate and the additives we add to it - like sugar, milk, and caffeine."

Dr. Jacqueline London, a researcher who also examined the effects of daily chocolate consumption on our brains, states that she is "a strong supporter of self-treatment by eating chocolate every day."

About the fascinating research:

The researchers assembled a test group to examine whether cognitive performance improves through the daily consumption of flavanols - present in cocoa. Simultaneously, the participants consumed other foods, through which the researchers observed the brain's reactions to the substances in those foods, and the results surprised them:

Previous studies on the effects of cocoa flavanols on other organs returned lackluster results, compared to the effects of the same flavanols on the brain.

For example, the researchers demonstrated that a group of women who consumed cocoa after a sleepless night did not experience impaired cognitive function and were able to perform tasks precisely despite the fatigue.

Furthermore, over three months, researchers examined the effects of cocoa flavanols on an elderly population and returned with the same surprising findings: It turns out their cognitive performances - information processing speed, memory improvement, verbal fluency, and more - were also enhanced by daily cocoa consumption.

"This result suggests the potential of cocoa flavanols to protect cognition in vulnerable populations over time," says researcher Michelle Ferrara from the University of L'Aquila. "If you look at the underlying mechanism, cocoa flavanols also have beneficial effects on heart and vascular health. Dark chocolate is a rich source of flavanols, so we also eat a bit of dark chocolate every day," she concludes.