In addition to the body, mental health is also strongly influenced by daily nutrition.
For some time we have been talking about the many beneficial properties of cocoa and dark chocolate, but a new one would be added to those already known.
Through a study conducted by the Universities of Birmingham and Illinois it was found that cocoa would help improve mental agility, enhancing speed and brilliance of execution, in young and healthy adults.
According to the research, published in Scientific Reports, the credit would be gods flavanols contained within the cocoa.
, real panacea for the body that are good for everything: from digestion to cardio-vascular health, to the brain.
Another antioxidant drink is a herbal tea made from red sage.
The tryptophan and magnesium present in them, for example, stimulate the synthesis of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, and improve the quality of sleep.
Cocoa also aids in the natural production of endorphins.
And molecules such as catechin and epicatechin help balance the intestine and influence insulin resistance, decreasing the risk of diabetes.
Without forgetting the great hand that eating a square of dark chocolate regularly can give to memory maintenance.
The most valuable antioxidant: flavanol
Among the positive substances present in cocoa, the most precious one for the organism, able to really affect in terms of well-being, is flavanol, which is also found in other plant foods, such as fruit, vegetables, tea and red wine. antioxidant molecule improves the elasticity of blood vessels, promotes the lowering of blood pressure, reduces fatigue and improves memory.
If several investigations had already demonstrated for some time how this last effect was especially true in elderly people, the new study proves that flavanols improve cognitive performance even in young and healthy individuals.
The group was randomly divided into two sub-groups: the members of one were made to drink a natural cocoa drink, rich in flavanols, and the others a drink that appeared to be identical but in reality weakened and with very low levels of flavanols. Nobody during the experiment knew what kind of cocoa they were getting.
The link between cocoa and brain health
After two hours, each person was asked to breathe air containing 5% carbon dioxide, a standard and often used method to challenge brain vascularity and study its reactions.
"The normal response of the body subjected to this type of stress would be to increase blood flow to the brain, bringing more oxygen and thus allowing" carbon dioxide to be eliminated, "explained research co-author Gabriele Gratton. in this case it is that the group whose participants ate the cocoa concentrated in flavanols proved to be more able to defend themselves from the "excess of carbon dioxide than the other".
More specifically, "maximum oxygenation levels were more than three times higher in those who ate cocoa high in the beneficial molecule, compared to low, and the oxygenation response was about a minute faster," he said. said one of the researchers of the study, Catarina Randeiro.
An afternoon nap would also be very useful to improve brain capacity in over 60s
