Cocoa 'may help prevent memory decline'

[dutchman]

Cocoa may help prevent memory decline, according to new research.

The journal Neurology has found that two cups of cocoa a day can help improve blood flow to the brain, BBC News reports.

A study of 60 elderly people with no dementia found that two cups of cocoa helped improve blood flow in those who had problems to begin with.

88% of participants saw an improvement in their blood flow if it was impaired at the beginning of the day in comparison to 37% who had started with normal blood flow.

There was no difference found between participants given high-flavanol cocoa or low-flavonol cocoa.

Researchers have insisted that this study was small and explained that further research is required to fully explore the effects of cocoa on memory.

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "A cocoa-based treatment would likely be very popular, but it's too soon to draw any conclusions about its effects.

"One drawback of this study is the lack of a control group for comparison, and we can't tell whether the results would have been different if the participants drank no cocoa at all."

He added: "Poor vascular health is a known risk factor for dementia, and understanding more about the links between vascular problems and declining brain health could help the search for new treatments and preventions."