If you love chocolates, you should rejoice because a new study reveals that eating chocolates can improve your cognitive function.

Chocolates are Good for the Brain and Heart

Chocolates will taste even sweeter after a new study shows a positive association with cognitive performance. Chocolates and flavanols have been favorably linked to a range of health complaints and cardiovascular benefits.

A previous study from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland already revealed that consuming 100 grams of chocolates a day is beneficial for a healthy heart. The study found that chocolate lovers are at low risk of developing and dying from heart disease.

The first study clearly presented that chocolate is good for the heart, but there was a lack of evidence about its results on brain function. The new study is set to address this.

Participants and Their Food Consumption

The researchers used the data collected during the sixth wave of the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS). The participants living in Syracuse, N.Y. were measured for their dietary intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. The participants answered a questionnaire asking them how frequent they consumed a list of foods, including meat, rice, pasta, fruit, vegetables, chocolates and other snack-type foods. Beverages like water, coffee and alcohol were also considered.

Test the Participants

To assess cognitive function, the participants were given a series of tests to measure a wide range of cognitive domains: visual-spatial memory and organization, scanning and tracking, verbal episodic memory and working memory. The study also included the Mini-Mental State Examination to measure one's mental status.

The researchers combined the dietary intake with cognitive tests, demographics and physical assessments. They found that chocolate consumption has a positive impact on one's cognitive performance, irrespective of his dietary habits.

The researchers were curious to see if the cognitive performance predicted chocolate consumption, so they performed a second analysis among those who participated in the dietary questionnaire and cognitive exam. However, there was no significant association between chocolate intake and performance.

Chocolates are Healthy for the Brain

"The present findings support recent clinical trials suggesting that regular intake of cocoa flavanols may have a beneficial effect on cognitive function, and possibly protect against normal age-related cognitive decline," the researchers concluded.

However, it should be noted that the study only measured the frequency the participants ate a certain group: it did not ask for the quantity each time they ate chocolate. Moreover, it also did not include the type of chocolate and the amount that one should eat to reap the potential benefits.