For me, chocolate has many uses. If I have an awful day, I fix it with chocolate. If I just aced an exam, I celebrate with chocolate. If a party or birthday celebration is underway, chocolate is bound to be present. Some studies have shown benefits in consuming chocolate from decreasing blood pressure to improving hearth health. A recent double-blind clinical trial done by Dr. Farzaneh Sorond found that chocolate may even influence the brain.
In this study, 60 elderly participants were given hot chocolate twice a day for 30 days. Researchers then measured the blood flow in participant’s brains. They also tested cognition by a Mini-Mental State Examination. Participants also received an MRI to measure cerebral white matter structural integrity. Researchers found regular cocoa consumption can improve cognitive function.
This study has a very small sample size and only one population base, the elderly. These findings show promise, but more research is definitely needed. Before you decide to go to the store and buy mass amounts of Snickers or Milky Way’s remember there are healthier ways to eat chocolate. This study required only 50 grams which is a little more than 3 tablespoons of chocolate. A milky way contains 240 calories. A better substitute may be semi-sweet chocolate chips which have only 160 calories per ½ cup. Bottom line a small amount of chocolate may be good to add to the diet!
