All that chocolate might actually help finish the bumper Christmas crossword over the seasonal period. According to Oxford researchers working with colleagues in Norway, chocolate, wine and tea enhance cognitive performance.
The team from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway examined the relation between cognitive performance and the intake of three common foodstuffs that contain flavonoids (chocolate, wine, and tea) in 2,031 older people (aged between 70 and 74).
Participants filled in information about their habitual food intake and underwent a battery of cognitive tests.Those who consumed chocolate, wine, or tea had significantly better mean test scores and lower prevalence of poor cognitive performance than those who did not. The team reported their findings in the Journal of Nutrition.
The role of micronutrients in age-related cognitive decline is being increasingly studied. Fruits and beverages such as tea, red wine, cocoa, and coffee are major dietary sources of polyphenols, micronutrients found in plant-derived foods. The largest subclass of dietary polyphenols is flavonoids, and it has been reported in the past that those who consume lots of flavonoids have a lower incidence of dementia.
(via Steven Walling)
December 30, 2008 at 6:17 am
explains why I function best with coffee, espresso, and dark chocolate at hand. The rest of the time I’m just phoning it in. oh, and drink more lapsang souchong – I bet there’s still a half-full box in yr kitchen
December 30, 2008 at 5:51 pm
He, I happen to love tea, chocolate and wine. And I either drink or eat some of it almost daily.
Maybe I’m the next step on the evolutionary ladder?