Could drinking chocolate really help improve your performance at mental tasks like math? According to a study presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference this month, it just might.
In the study, 30 healthy adults consumed cocoa drinks on different days containing 520 mg of cocoa flavanols, 993 mg of cocoa flavanols or a control drink. The participants were given a number of mentally demanding tasks to complete, such as counting backwards from 999 in threes.
On the days the participants drank the beverages containing 520mg or 993mg of cocoa flavanols they performed significantly better at the arithmetic task. They also reported being less mentally tired during the task.
Crystal Haskell of the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University said: The drink rich in cocoa flavanols significantly improved aspects of cognitive performance and levels of fatigue during this mentally demanding task.
Flavanols are phytochemicals that have been linked to positive health benefits. Cocoa beans are known to be high in flavanols.
