Chocolate May Boost Brain Function

If you have been looking for one more reason to indulge yourself in eating some more chocolates, then, here it is. A new study published in the journal Appetite suggests eating chocolate at least once weekly may boost cognitive function.

The researchers analyzed the data of 968 people aged 23-98 who were free of dementia and part of the Maine-Syracuse

Longitudinal Study (MSLS), which was led by study coauthor Prof. Merrill Elias, of the University of Maine.

The team analyzed the chocolate intake of participants over a 30-year period, as determined by information from a food

frequency questionnaire. The questionnaire asked subjects how often they ate chocolate: never, rarely, once a week, two to four

times a week, five to six times a week or once or more each day.

The researchers found that individuals who consumed chocolate at least once a week performed significantly better on all

cognitive tasks, compared with those who never or rarely ate chocolate.