Chocolate Improves Our Cognitive Functions

If we consume it in moderation and combine it with a healthy diet, chocolate can help us improve the cognitive functions of our brain.

If there is one food that we always consume with a little guilt, it is chocolate.

It allows us to relieve all our sorrows. It is a real object of whim and a temptation which severely tests our desires for a diet.

The only two things we need to worry about are how we consume it and the quality of the chocolate we choose.

Dark chocolate is undoubtedly the most beneficial for our health.

But recent studies show that if it contains a hint of milk, it can also be positive for our body.

According to a survey conducted by the Nutritional Physiology Research Center at the University of South Australia, if we consume this food once a week, our brains will be more agile.

This eating habit allows us to considerably improve our concentration and our memory.

This is news that makes us happy and that we want to share in detail with you in the rest of this article.

Chocolate, the ally of your cognitive functions

There are different types of chocolate on the market, and not all of them are recommendable.

The one that is used as icing in industrial pastries, for example, is absolutely not healthy.

All chocolates that contain large amounts of added sugars or preservatives are harmful. They actually decrease our brain function, increase our cholesterol level and promote the occurrence of strokes, especially if we lead a very sedentary life.

According to Dr. George Crichton, responsible for the previously cited study, it is not recommended to consume more than 25 to 28 grams of chocolate per day.

We can opt to consume it once or twice a week, slightly exceeding the amount specified above.

However, keep in mind that the important thing is to choose good quality chocolate.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this subject!

Dark chocolate is good for the developing fetus during pregnancy

According to a study conducted by the University of Atlanta in the United States, dark chocolate is very rich in antioxidants like flavonol.

If pregnant women consume between 20 and 35 grams per day of dark chocolate during their pregnancy, the quality of their placenta will be improved, while the risk for the fetus of suffering from preeclampsia, a medical complication. associated with high blood pressure during gestation, will be greatly reduced.

This is a given that we must keep in mind.

Chocolate can protect us from heart and cerebrovascular problems

Chocolate has this ability because it contains flavonoids and essential minerals, such as magnesium, which are able to protect our heart and brain health.

• The University of Aberdeen in Scotland conducted a 12-year study in which researchers observed the health of more than 20,000 people. One group consumed between 30 and 40 grams of chocolate daily.
  Another group did not consume it, while a final sample ate excessively.
• The results of this experiment were clear: the patients who ingested chocolate on a regular basis, in moderation, and who led a more or less active life, enjoyed better heart and brain health.

Dark chocolate and milk chocolate protect and strengthen our cognitive functions

In the work cited at the very beginning of our article, researchers were able to determine that regular but controlled consumption of chocolate allowed us to obtain the following benefits:

• Improved spatial memory and organizational spirit.
• An increase in working memory. This last option allows us to better understand our environment, to analyze data more quickly and to better retain new information.
• Improved short and long term memory.

You wonder how a little piece of dark or milk chocolate can help us improve so much in our brains.

To reach these conclusions, scientists followed people aged 19 to 98 for 30 years. The results were more than positive.

• The flavonol present in chocolate helps increase connectivity between brain cells.
• Consuming chocolate also improves blood circulation, and blood quality, in the brain.
• The small amounts of caffeine in chocolate also allows us to stay alert without ever increasing our blood pressure.
• Cocoa contains oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat that helps us control and regulate our bad LDL cholesterol levels. This is very important data to take into account.

To conclude. We must make it clear that chocolate alone cannot improve our health if we do not pay attention to our overall diet. So don’t overeat and move around as much as possible.

Either way, this ancient and delicious food should be eaten like a little whim.

Eat them in reasonable, but regular, amounts. As a kind of supplement to your usual diet.

So take advantage of all its health benefits in moderation!