Cocoa Flavanol Intake Linked To Improvement Of Cognitive Impairment In Elderly

An Italian study of elderly people with mid cognitive impairment has found that daily intake of the  flavanols from cocoa significantly improved memory and cognitive scores, and reduced insulin resistance, blood pressure and oxidative stress. Flavanols are also found in tea, grapes, red wine, and apples, but for the study the source of the flavanols was restricted to cocoa. The researchers acknowledged that they weren’t sure whether the improvements in cognitive impairment were the direct result of the flavanols, or the indirect result of improvements in cardiovascular function.