Cocoa offers cognitive benefits – but cacao might be better
MISUNDERSTOOD superfood a treat for aging brains
Friend, if you’re a “chocoholic”… you might think you’ve got a BAD habit…
One that you’ve got to KICK to the curb…
When the truth is, you’re onto something very GOOD!
Especially when it comes to your cognitive health.
Now, I’m not talking about the type of chocolate you’ll find in the grandkids’ Easter basket… or inside a heart-shaped candy box left over from last Valentine’s Day.
All that extra sugar… processing… and packaging won’t do you much good.
And it could actually HARM you in the process.
That’s why it’s important to get BACK TO BASICS… and focus on what makes chocolate more than just a DECADENT treat.
I’m talking about cocoa.
It’s bona fide “brain food” – and it could help older folks stay sharp as a tack, well into their “golden years.”
Now, the latest research into these brain benefits came from a study funded by Mars, a chocolate company. And OF COURSE they want to make it seem like their candy bars are somehow healthy!
But that’s not exactly what’s going on with the science.
See, researchers have known for years that cocoa is rich in active antioxidant compounds called flavanols…
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Which help NEUTRALIZE oxidative stress and BANISH inflammation… two factors that can really do a number on your brain function.
And a 2020 study showed how cocoa flavanols help deliver oxygen to brain tissue… thanks to BOOSTED cerebral blood flow and IMPROVED vascular health.
These nutrients have even shown to help COUNTERACT memory impairments associated with sleep deprivation!
This latest study was a little different.
The authors found that a flavanol-rich cocoa extract helped OVERCOME cognitive challenges in older folks who followed unhealthy diets.
That piqued my interest – because the sad truth is, lots of older folks STRUGGLE to make healthy dietary choices.
Maybe it’s because they’re on a fixed income… aren’t able to prepare food for themselves… or depend on an assisted living facility to provide all their meals.
And you know what those places feed older folks? GARBAGE! It’s all easy-to-prepare, ultra-processed and packaged foods that offer A LOT of convenience but VERY LITTLE in the way of true nutritional value.
So in the study, taking 500-mg supplements of cocoa extract… which contained 80 mg of a memory-boosting antioxidant known as epicatechin… was linked to a mild cognitive boost.
But what the study’s authors DIDN’T address is the fact that epicatechin is just ONE flavanol found in cocoa… and made no mention of other POWERFUL compounds, called procyanidins.
Now, I don’t know what the EXACT composition of those supplements were in that study… but I think you can do better.
The science shows that 500 mg is at the lower end of the dosage of flavanols that you’ll want to consume for maintaining your cognitive edge…
And honestly, I’m a bit suspicious of how much processing that cocoa has to go through in order to find its way into capsules.
Because the MORE you process cocoa (including cooking it)… the LESS flavanols it’ll contain.
That’s why I often recommend actually sticking with the whole food… and INDULGING in chocolate.
Now, remember that the DARKER the chocolate… the MORE POTENT its effects are.
I like cacao nibs… which are about as close to the whole cacao plant as you’ll get. They’re the LEAST processed out of any of the “cocoa” products you’ll find out there.
And nibs contain ZERO milk… an ingredient in chocolate which tends to DEGRADE its cognitive benefits.
As an added bonus to eating cacao, you’ll even get a little caffeine – a known neurostimulant that’s been shown to ENHANCE both working and long-term memory!
For better health,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.