Daily Chocolate May Rescue the Brain From Cognitive Decline

[sl8]

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-food/202209/daily-chocolate-may-rescue-the-brain-cognitive-decline

Daily Chocolate May Rescue the Brain From Cognitive Decline

Recent evidence for the many benefits of cocoa in the aging human brain.

Posted September 3, 2022
Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

KEY POINTS

- A systematic review of the literature suggests that the molecules contained in cocoa may reduce cognitive decline.

- Daily chocolate consumption was inversely associated with the risk of death from all causes.

- The cognitive benefits of epicatechin in cocoa powder may be due to mechanisms of vasodilation and increased
brain blood flow.

- The benefits are due to the main compounds found in cocoa and their microbiota-induced gut metabolites.

[...]

[TreasonousBastard]

1. That's good to know.

Very good.

[Gaugamela]

2. My daily chocolate has a few milligrams of another

beneficial molecule. I take it before bed. I’d highly recommend it.

[Bristlecone]

3. The message brought to you by Big Chocolate.

Which I endorse far too often.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. I knew it!

I buy 12 packs of small "Mr. Goodbar's" and "Hersey's with Almonds". I'm good for 3 or 4 small packs a night.....my desert! Hardly a full candy bar compared to back in the day, but still....it's the right balance between taste and cognitive awareness.

[Angleae]

5. I knew there was a good reason I just bought that big ass bag of halloween candy.

[brush]

6. Wait...what's this? This is right up my line.

[Cartoonist]

7. Lately I've been enjoying Hershey's sugar free dark chocolate.

My new concern is whatever artificial sweetener they use.

[KarenS]

8. Dark Chocolate (85% cocoa) each evening, here.

I've read that it helps with digestion too.

Love my Chocolate.

[bahboo]

11. same here...now even 70% tastes like milk chocolate...

weird.

[Wednesdays]

12. Good as a cough suppressant, too.

I read it's as effective as codeine. I don't know if it's as good as that, but I've used dark chocolate with impressive results.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

20. 72% here.

[SCantiGOP]

26. Hershey bars here

with the occasional Baby Ruth stolen from the grandkids Halloween bag.

[Native]

9. Hot Cocoa! Nothing like a dose of arsenic to go with my epicatechin.

[Meowmee]

10. At some point after

My father’s death I started eating it daily. I have to be careful because it can mess up my digestive system too. I do notice though that it stimulates my heart a bit too much so I think I’m gonna cut down a bit. A friend sent me some godiva so that started me up but now I am on hersheys 😀

[Cracklin Charlie]

13. Cool.

I eat it every day.

Right now, actually.

[Bayard]

15. I BELIEVE!!

(IXCACAO: MAYAN GODDESS OF CHOCOLATE)

[ARPad95]

16. I've been eating 1-3 (or more) squares of 90%-92% dark chocolate every day for years. Always with a

serving of raw almonds.

[James48]

18. Great.

If the obesity doesn’t kill me, the A1C just might. I prefer milk chocolate.

[mbusby]

19. Tree to Bar, How to Make Chocolate Every Step ....

[Disaffected]

21. Oh good, another

food fad. At last, something that tastes great is good for you!

Recall when a glass of wine a day was good for you? It had to do with the "Mediterranean diet" or some such thing.

Turns out the latest is that any amount of alcohol is bad for you - wine or otherwise (sorry, no cite, heard it on the CBC news a while ago).

[bsiebs]

24. Who on earth wants to live without wine?

[keithbvadu2]

22. Even if it might not be true, I want to believe.

Even if it might not be true, I want to believe.

[multigraincracker]

23. Best results were from eating a small piece of dark chocolate

every 2 hours during the day.
Unless it helps memory, I'd forget.

[KentuckyWoman]

25. Pudgy old ladies like me

Telling our doctors a whole box of Esther Price dark chocolate turtles every week is good for you.

[Beartracks]

27. Any word on the benefit if it's coated around espresso beans?

Seems there should be some synergistic effect, right?

========

[Warpy]

28. If it's not chocolate, it's just not worth the calories

Chocolate also contains potassium and a genteel stimulant called theobromine. It's probably the latter that prevents decline.

[Permanut]

29. Good to know with Halloween coming up..

My wife and I always test a bag or two ahead of time for safety and freshness. Want to make sure it's top quality for the kids.

[ecstatic]

30. Do Reese's peanut butter cups count as chocolate?

😥

[Meowmee]

31. Yes for sure😹😀

Any chocolate counts. Dark chocolate gives me runs so I usually eat milk chocolate and sugar is better for me than artificial sweeteners. Maybe I will try unsweetened cocoa with stevia though. I am on a very strict diet and there are many things I can no longer eat and have not eaten for over 10 years now. So adding chocolate back in after it contributed to an event which led to a hospital stay was a big deal to be able to do.