Chocolate Has Benefits For Your Cognitive Function

Dark chocolate is usually better for your health, but new research shows that even a small piece of milk chocolate has benefits for your body.

If there is one type of food that people always eat with a slight sense of guilt, it is chocolate. This is a food that makes us comfortable, one of those temptations we give in to, and sometimes it can also make it difficult to lose weight.

Still , there is nothing like eating chocolate in moderation – but it must be the right type.

According to a recent study by the  Research Center for Nutritional Physiology  at the University of South Australia, your brain will be more flexible, and your concentration and memory will be greatly improved if you eat chocolate at least once a week on a regular basis.

This is definitely one of the results that everyone is happy to see. And that’s why we want to share it with you in today’s article.

Chocolate has benefits for your cognitive function

You probably already know that there are many different types of chocolate out there, and not all of them are healthy. The ones you can buy from a commercial chocolate factory, for example, are not necessarily good for you.

Anything with a very high sugar content or lots of preservatives will undoubtedly have negative effects, as it will reduce brain function, increase cholesterol levels, and increase the risk of stroke – all this is exacerbated if you have a sedentary lifestyle.

According to Dr. Georgie Crichton, you should only eat between 25 and 28 grams of chocolate each day.

You can exceed this amount a couple of times a week, but the best thing to do is choose high quality chocolate.

Find out more about this below.

Consumption of dark chocolate during pregnancy increases the development of the fetus

According to a study conducted at the University of Atlanta, dark chocolate is very rich in a powerful antioxidant called flavonol.

When pregnant women eat between 20 and 35 grams of dark chocolate every day throughout pregnancy, the quality of the placenta is improved and they also have a reduced risk of preeclampsia, a medical condition associated with high blood pressure.

Interesting, is not it?

Chocolate can protect you from heart and cerebrovascular disease

The key is flavonoids and minerals such as magnesium, which are able to improve the health of both our heart and brain.

• The University of Aberdeen in Scotland conducted a 12-year study in which they monitored the health of 20,000 participants. This included a group that ate between 30 and 40 grams of chocolate a day. The rest of the participants did not eat chocolate, and they also avoided alcohol abuse.
• The results were incredibly enlightening.

Dark chocolate and milk chocolate have benefits for our cognitive function

In the beginning, we suggested that it is good to eat chocolate on a daily basis, and in moderate amounts, and it has the following positive benefits:

• Your visual memory and your organizational skills will improve.
• Your working memory will increase. This strengthens your ability to analyze data, store information, and create new information.
• Your long-term and short-term memory will also improve.

Now you may be wondering how you can get all these benefits from 25 grams of dark chocolate or milk chocolate.

The researchers followed people between the ages of 19 and 98 for over 30 years, and they found results that were overwhelmingly positive.

• The content of flavonol in chocolate increases the connection between brain cells.
• Blood flow and quantity to the brain are improved.
• Small amounts of caffeine in chocolate improve our attention, without increasing stress levels or putting pressure on the body.
• Another interesting fact is that cocoa contains oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat that helps control and regulate LDL cholesterol. This is good to keep in mind.

To conclude: it is important to reiterate that chocolate in itself will not give you all these benefits if you neglect the rest of your diet and have a sedentary lifestyle.

This ancient and delicious food should be consumed as if it were a gift from nature itself: in small, regular amounts, and accompanied by healthy living habits.

We know you will enjoy it, and of course your health will too.