Sci Rep: Flavanols in cocoa beans may improve cognitive function in older adults

Flavanol is a natural plant compound with biological activity from tea, cocoa, pomegranates, grapes and a variety of grains, herbs and berries, while cocoa has the highest levels of flavanols.
previous studies have shown that foods rich in flavanols are good for the cardiovascular system.
, a study published in the journal Sci Rep suggests that flavanol-based dietary interventions may improve cognitive function in older adults.
the study, researchers from Columbia University and New York University recruited 211 healthy people between the ages of 50 and 75 from January 13, 2016 to November 21, 2018 and divided them into 4 groups, given different doses of cocoa flavanol supplements: placebo (0mg flavanol per day), low intake (260mg), moderate intake (510mg) and high intake (770mg).
at the beginning and end of the study, participants under conducted a series of cognitive tests to assess their thinking and memory, and some participants under conducted MRI scans to measure blood flow in the brain.
results showed that 204 participants completed the main study assessment after 12 weeks of dietary flavanol intake, and 49 completed the MRI sub-study.
in the MRI sub-study, one participant had an vascular reaction and one participant had nausea.
cognitive performance assessment of concentration intake of 5-(3ʹ,4ʹ-dihydroxybenzene)-γ-steride metabolites (gVLM) in flavanol 12 weeks of plasma Blood tests at 12 and 20 weeks showed that gVLM intake (biomarkers of dietary flavanol intake) increased and then decreased, while gVLM levels returned to baseline levels 8 weeks after the end of the capsule intake period.
study of changes in the list learning memory test further showed that object identification and list sequencing performance was independent of baseline dietary quality and did not improve after flavanol intake.
, however, the list learning performance of sea mass dependence was directly related to baseline dietary quality and improved after intake of flavanols, especially among participants with the lowest baseline dietary quality.
, the results showed that diets supplemented with cocoa flavanols improved performance of specific memory tasks in older adults.
However, this small trial highlights some of the effects that flavanols found in cocoa beans may have in a short period of time, and longer large-scale studies are needed in the future to fully understand whether high levels of these flavanol diets can improve cognitive ability in old age.