People who consume strong cocoa have a greater ability to complete complex cognitive tasks. Pictured are cocoa beans.
An investigation by researchers at the University of Birmingham revealed that those tested who consumed concentrated cocoa had faster and higher blood oxygen levels, as well as their ability to complete complex cognitive tasks.
Using a comparative test of 18 healthy men between the ages of 18 and 40, the researchers found that participants who took concentrated cocoa (flavanol-rich cocoa) had three times higher blood oxygenation levels in the former than those who did not. At the same time, their average speed in completing brain-testing tasks was 11 percent higher.
Catarina Rendeiro, PhD, lead author of the report and from the University of Birmingham’s School of Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, said, “The findings suggest that participants got significant benefits from taking flavanol-rich drinks, but only if the task became very complex.” “We can relate this to the results of improved blood oxygenation – if you are facing more of a challenge, then your brain needs to improve blood oxygen levels to deal with that challenge. It further suggests that flavanols may be particularly beneficial in cognitively demanding tasks.”
Flavanols are a naturally occurring component found in cocoa, grapes, apples, tea, berries and other foods. According to modern medicine, flavanols are known to promote cardiovascular health, but in this test, researchers found for the first time its benefits in improving cerebral blood oxygenation levels and brain cognition.
“We used cocoa in the experiment, but flavanols are extremely common in a variety of fruits and vegetables,” said Lendillo. “By better understanding the advantages of these foods for improving cognition, we can provide people with guidance on how to better utilize their diet.”
It was also found in the study that a small group of people whose brain oxygenation response levels were already high before drinking cocoa concentrate did not experience further increases in their brain oxygenation response levels and did not gain cognitive gains afterwards. Dr. Lendillo explained, “This may indicate that these individuals were already healthy and had no room for further improvement.”
Dr. Lendillo added, “A small group of participants who did not respond to flavanols provided us with additional evidence to confirm the link between increased cerebral blood oxygenation and cognitive performance.”
The study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first scientific investigation into the effects of flavanols on cognition in young healthy subjects and its relationship to cerebral blood oxygenation.
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