Several studies showed how chocolate is now becoming more than just a tempting sweet. Daily consumption of chocolate doesn't just satisfy sweet cravings but also can lessen the risk of cardiovascular diseases and poses benefits for the fetal growth and development during pregnancy.
But today, chocolate lovers have another reason to happily indulge a piece of their favorite chocolate again. According to a study conducted by the University of South Australia, people who gave in with the luscious mouth-watering temptation of chocolates even at for at least once a week showed better brain performance than those who have not, as reported by Teen Vogue.
"Chocolate and cocoa flavanols have been associated with improvements in a range of health complaints dating from ancient times," said Dr. Georgie Crichton, the expert who led the study. "They have established cardiovascular benefits, but less is known about the effects of chocolates on cognition and behavior."
Researchers have included 968 dementia-free people with ages that range between 23 and 98 to the study. They were required to answer a questionnaire where they were asked how often they give in to chocolates over the past 30 years.
Then the participants underwent a series of exams. The result of their physical and emotional exams were used to assess the participants' visual-spatial memory and organization (the ability to remember and understand spatial relations among objects), verbal memory (the ability to remember words and other factors related to language), working memory (the ability to process new and existing information) and scanning and tracking (the ability to focus on specific objects,) as reported by Medical News Today.
Dr. Crichton also noted the healthy benefits of chocolate are not just limited to dark chocolates alone -- milk chocolates are perfectly fine. "We would recommend that a small intake of chocolate once or twice weekly may be incorporated into a healthy, balanced diet," Dr. Crichton added.
