ISLAMABAD: Eating dark chocolate in moderation may protect one's brain from age-related stress and inflammation, a study said.
According to researchers, dark chocolate consumption is also linked to lowering hypertension. It comes packed with essential nutrients like iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous and flavanols. Oxidative stress and inflammation increase with ageing and are thought to play an important role in the development of neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, health news reported.
"We previously reported on the beneficial effects of treatment with the cacao flavanol on ageing-induced oxidative stress and capacity to restore modulators of mitochondrial biogenesis in the prefrontal cortex of 26-month-old mice. In the current study, using a similar mouse model of ageing, we examined the capacity of Epi to mitigate hippocampus oxidative stress and inflammation leading to improved memory and anxiety levels" researchers said.
In a study, researchers from the University of California San Diego in the US showed that the epicatechin (Epi), a flavanol found in foods such as dark chocolate, reduced damaging oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in a mouse model of ageing.
Just two weeks of treatment with epicatechin not only suppressed levels of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation that would normally be increased in this mouse model, but also improved memory and anxiety levels in the mice.
The findings may help explain the beneficial effects on memory seen in people who consume dark chocolate, researchers said.
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