Italian research shows that drinking cocoa every day can effectively reduce mild cognitive impairment and prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. (Photo/excerpt from the British Daily Mail) In the study, the research team of the University of L 'Aquila in Italy divided 90 patients with mild cognitive impairment over 70 years old into three groups, drinking high, medium and low levels of cocoa respectively, and other beverages containing flavonoids, such as tea and red wine, must be banned.
Results During the 8-week experiment, the middle-dose and high-dose subjects performed significantly better than the low-dose group in many intelligence tests based on memory and brain processing speed, and their insulin resistance and blood pressure also decreased.
Dr Giovambattista Desideri, the main spokesman of this study, said that the results of this study brought new opportunities for preventing cognitive impairment. However, further research is needed to determine how long this positive benefit can last and how much cocoa flavonoids are needed to achieve this effect.
In addition, it is necessary to maintain a balanced diet every day. Although cocoa has many benefits, it needs to be controlled and not to consume too many calories.