- Older adults who took daily cocoa extract supplements showed a small improvement in cognitive function, but only if the quality of their diet decreased.
- Researchers say it is too early to recommend coca extract supplements to improve cognitive function.
- Many lifestyle interventions can reduce the risk of dementia, including a better diet, regular physical activity, and good sleep hygiene.
A new randomized clinical trial found that older adults who took a cocoa extract supplement daily for two years showed some improvement in cognitive function.
However, the effect was only seen in people who had poor diet quality at the start of the study. Similar cognitive improvements were not seen in those who ate a healthy diet.
“[The findings] “This raises the possibility that flavanol-rich diets and supplements can be used to improve cognitive function in older adults with poor diet quality.” Chirag Vyasreceived his M.A. and B.S. degrees from the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also conducted the study, which was published Dec. 7. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
This new study is part of the larger Cocoa Supplements and Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS), which involved 573 older men and women who received either cocoa extract or an inert placebo daily for two years. randomly assigned to.
The average age of the participants was 70 years, and about half were women. Furthermore, his 11% of participants reported eating chocolate every day before the start of the study.
People in the cocoa extraction group took two capsules a day containing a total of 500 milligrams of cocoa flavanols, including 80 milligrams of epicatechin.
flavanol, also known as flavan-3-ols, is a subclass of plant compounds known as flavonoids. Flavanols are found in tea, cocoa-based products, grapes, apples, and berries.
Participants took a cognitive function test when they enrolled in the study. Two years later, 492 participants repeated the test.
When the researchers looked at the data for the entire group, they found that daily cocoa extract supplements had no effect on people's overall cognition.
However, when looking at people with poor diet quality at the start of the study, those who took daily cocoa supplements saw “relatively positive” changes in overall cognitive and executive function.
Executive function is a set of cognitive skills needed for self-control and behavioral management.
This result is consistent with some research. previous study A study conducted among COSMOS participants found that daily intake of flavanols improved certain types of memory in older adults with poor diet quality.
However, in contrast to another COSMOS.
The new research included funding and other support from Mars Edge, part of the food company Mars. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon). Neither company was involved in data analysis, interpretation of results, or preparation of the study manuscript.
This study shows that cocoa supplements may have potential benefits for cognitive performance in people with poor diet quality, but further research is needed.
“Based on our results, daily supplementation with cocoa extract to maintain cognitive function is not recommended,” Vyas told Healthline.
“However, our findings still highlight the importance of considering diet and nutritional status in future trials evaluating the effects of cocoa extract supplements on cognition,” he said.
She hopes future studies will include more diverse populations, with a particular focus on people with poor diets.
Dr. thomas hollandPhysician-scientist in the division of gastroenterology and nutrition at RUSH University in Chicago, said the new study is interesting because it focuses on a specific food compound containing very specific flavanols.
He contrasts this with a study he co-authored that looked at overall dietary intake of flavonols, another type of flavonoid.
In that study, published in 2020,
The results showed that people who consumed more flavonols in their food had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Regarding the new research, Professor Holland highlighted that the results show that cocoa extract supplements do not benefit people with better diet quality. This suggests that if people improve the quality of their diet, they won't need supplements, he said.
But “if people aren't trying to improve their diet, or if their diet is deficient for some reason, this cocoa extract, and by extension, the multivitamin, has the potential to fill that nutritional gap.” he told Healthline.
In such cases, he recommends consulting your doctor or health care provider before starting supplements. There may be other steps you can take to reduce your risk of dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
After all, “maintaining a healthy, varied, and nutritious diet is beneficial for brain health,” Holland said.
Food diversity is important because different types of food contain different nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals such as flavonoids.
He gives the example of a spring salad with arugula, spinach, onions, tomatoes, walnuts, and sometimes raspberries or strawberries. “This salad may contain more than 90 to 100 vitamins, minerals, and bioactive substances, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,” he said.
Research has shown that diet can reduce the risk of dementia, but the condition is influenced by many factors so we need to use as many “tools” as possible, Professor Holland said.
This includes not only eating a healthy diet, but also engaging in regular physical activity, promoting an active social life, participating in activities that stimulate the brain, ensuring the quality and quantity of sleep, and reducing stress. Includes practice.
The good thing is, “It's never too early or too late to embrace these multifaceted lifestyle changes,” he said.
In a randomized clinical trial, older adults who took cocoa extract supplements daily for two years showed improvements in cognitive function, but only if their diets were of poor quality at the start of the study.
The results are consistent with previous research that found that daily intake of flavanols, compounds found in cocoa, improved cognitive function in people with poor diets.
Experts say more research is needed before recommending cocoa extract supplements to improve cognitive function, but there are other ways to lower the risk of dementia, such as improving your overall diet and exercising regularly. He says there are other ways to mitigate it.
