If you're looking for an excuse to chomp that bar of chocolate calling your name, then look no further; a new study suggests eating chocolate at least once weekly may boost cognitive function.
Dr. Georgie Crichton, of the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre at the University of South Australia, and colleagues publish their findings in the journal Appetite.
While chocolate is still perceived as an indulgent treat, studies have increasingly documented the potential health benefits of habitual consumption.
Earlier this month, for example, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that eating chocolate daily during pregnancy may benefit fetal growth and development, while an earlier study claims daily chocolate consumption may lower risk of stroke and heart disease.
But how does chocolate intake impact cognitive function? This is what Dr. Crichton and colleagues set out to determine, noting that there is lack of information in this area.
"Little is known about the relationship between chocolate and cognitive functioning or brain health," Dr. Crichton told MNT. "Most of the studies to date have focused on the acute effects of chocolate or cocoa consumption - i.e. consume a chocolate bar/cocoa-rich drink and assess immediate performance. We wanted to examine habitual or normal consumption with cognitive performance."
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