Studies reveal consuming chocolate improves brain function

The benefits of chocolate for brain have been widely accepted and so the chocolate is now regarded as the modern food for brain health. Eating a considerable amount of dark chocolate improves brain function. Chocolate can be regarded as a super food with anti- inflammatory and anti- aging properties. It has been noted that the flavanols are beneficial to the blood vessels and reduce all the chances of getting any heart disease.

What studies have to say?

Studies have revealed the response of your brain on chocolate, especially in regard of cognitive functioning, blood vessel/ heart health and mood swings. The right type chocolate if consumed daily can keep the cardiovascular pumping system healthy. It will sharpen your brain and makes you alert as well and makes you feel happy and calm.

Let us take a look of how chocolate improves brain function:

Chocolate is manufactured from finely grounded, roasted and fermented Theobroma cocoa seeds. A chocolate bar containing a label of 70%; has 70% of ground cocoa along with 30% of sugar. Ground Cocoa has cocoa butter and grounded cocoa seed particles. Grounded cocoa has a potent phytochemical mixture that has excellent medicinal properties.

These phytochemicals present in cocoa are methylxanthines and polyphenols. Whenever you swallow, savor, or chew a chocolate, your body will start digesting it and release 300+ compounds. Some of the important compounds among them are:

1. Serotonin and tryptophan: these are responsible to promote well- being and relaxation
2. Caffeine: it is a psychoactive substance that generates temporary alertness
3. Xanthenes: this is a mild stimulant found in brain as well as in caffeine that promotes wakefulness.
4. Theobromine: a vasodilator and stimulant that increases the flow of blood
5. Anandamine: it is neurotransmitter that activates the pleasure receptors of brain
6. Flavonols: also found in green tea, blue berries and red wine; these compounds increases blood flow to the major areas of the brain for 2- 3 hours after getting metabolized. It has a similar effect as what aspirin does.

Benefits of chocolate compounds:

The compounds used in chocolates have excellent therapeutic effects including properties such as:

• Inhibiting caner growth
• Regulating genes to control body weight
• Increasing the flow of blood in the brain
• Reducing resistance to insulin
• Dilation of blood vessels
• Preventing blood clots
• Anti- inflammatory
• Anti –oxidant
• Chocolate improves brain function
• It also improves memory

Because of the above mentioned mechanisms; chocolate is regarded to be best in preventing brain and cardiovascular disorders in the body. Let us study the response of your brain on chocolate:

How chocolate improves brain functions and body health:

1. Mood swings:

Chocolates are meant to solve anxiety and depression issues and help an individual to enhance the feeling of contendness and calmness. Both methylxanthies and flavanols in chocolates play an important role in enhancing the mood of a person. Chocolate with high amount of polyphenol are believed to improve the condition of chronic fatigue as well.

2. Cognitive function and benefits of chocolate:

Consuming chocolate improves brain functions as the flavanols are absorbed and penetrates deep and accumulate inside the portions of brain dealing with memory and learning. These flavanols are responsible to increase the flow of blood in brain and promote the growth of new neurons, improve their functioning as well as enhance the connection between each of them. Neurons are protected from getting dead by the release of free radicals out of the flavanols. Cocoa and chocolate improve cognitive impairment in elderly individuals who consume cocoa drink daily rich in flavanols for about 8 weeks. Each dose of flavanol is responsible to improve cognitive mental state and memory among the healthy individuals.

3. Effects of dark chocolate on brain:

To have boosting effect of chocolate on brain it is better to rely on chocolates that have a good quantity of cocoa powder or dark chocolate. Products containing cocoa have a considerable amount of methylxanthines and flavanols. Dark chocolates are made with 70% or more of cocoa leading to health benefits.

4. Boost up the blood flow:

Consuming 2 cups of cocoa everyday can help in keeping the brains of adults healthy and makes their thinking ability sharp. Cocoa intake is also helpful to boost up the blood flow level in an elderly person.

5. Chocolate to curb anxiety:

Chocolate reduces the levels of stress hormones. Studies have proved the cocoa flavanols pose positive effects of dark chocolate on the brain; and, improves the mental functioning of the body. The benefits provided by dark chocolate is more than what a milky cream chocolate provide.

6. Eating chocolate improves memory:

Researchers have shown that those who consume chocolate once a week are likely to have a sharper memory than others. It does not matter which chocolate you go for- white, milk or dark.

7. Chocolates to cure gut discomfort:

Chocolates have adequate quantity of caffeine which is regarded as a bowel stimulator. It can trigger out the symptoms of IBS i.e. irritable bowel syndrome. It transits in small intestine and then in large intestine within 4- 5 hours of eating. Caffeine is responsible to increase the levels of acid in stomach to facilitate proper digestion. If you are struggling with inflammation of stomach ulcer, acid reflux or heartburn, you will realize that chocolate does a great job in calming out such problems once it enters the stomach.

8. Chocolates suppress appetite:

Chocolate possess appetite suppressing characteristics that will help you to lose down your weight. You will feel full for a longer time. Flavanols in dark chocolate improves the sensitivity of body towards insulin making sugar easily absorbable rather than storing it. This property is found only in dark chocolates, whereas milk chocolates may cause an opposite effect to it. Chocolates have the potential to prevent obesity and diabetes of type 2.

9. Cholesterol and heart health:

Dark chocolates are found to decrees the levels of bad cholesterol which occurs after 2 hours of meal. Also chocolates are believed to have anti- inflammatory properties that are essential for a healthy heart and reduce death rate caused due to heart attacks.