Could chocolate protect your brain?
Boosting blood flow with a Mars bar
Excellent news: chocolate is might be good for your brain.
Research presented at the American Associate for the Advancement of Science suggests that eating a specially formulated type of cocoa could improve brain function and slow the brain's decline as we slide into old age.
Sadly for anyone who relishes objective science, the work has been funded by Mars.
Even more sadly, the research is being used to promote an actual product, taking it from the realms of science and straight into marketing.
Still, we find the idea of healthy chocolate strangely attractive, not least because it would probably cause a great deal of upset to diet gurus like Gillian McKeith.
So, with two fingers firmly raised in the direction of beetroot and celery juice for breakfast, we'll continue.
The work was conducted at the University of Nottingham's medical school. A small group of women was tasked with completing a series of mental challenges. The idea was that consuming the specially brainy chocolate drink, rich in flavonols, would improve their performance.
Well, it didn't, but scans of the women's brains during the tests showed increased blood flow in the brain for two to three hours. An older test group also showed increased blood flow after consuming the drink.
The researchers hypothesised that this increase in blood flow might benefit older adults afflicted by mini strokes or fatigue. More work, they say, is needed. ®
COMMENTS
Matt Milford... L2Logic pls kthxby!
Your argument:
1. Chocolate contains sugar
2. Brain runs on sugar
3. Therefore you agree : chocolate protects your brain.
OMGWTFBBQ: How on earth could you come to such a conclusion?
By this logic, you might as well consume sugar instead of chocolate or other goodies. I can assure you of this. You will not be more protected than any joe on the street from dementia.
Taken to the extreme and I grant you this is extreme, what you may find is you may develop all the complications of a high calorie diet - obesity, high insulin resistance maybe eventually diabetes et cetera.
You may say, "Ah, I forgot to mention a hidden premise". Fair enough then, what is it?
Could it be : whatever your brain runs on is neuroprotective?
Well think again: sugar is VITAL for brain survival, like 02. The issue in the article was does chocolate provide additional protection from events or pathology.
Consider this too: If I take out your pancreas and render you diabetic and you don't keep good sugar control ie your average blood sugar being higher than the average normal joe, what do you figure your odds are for cardiovascular events or strokes? You have MORE sugar in your system? Shouldn't that be better?
Plainly it is not this simple.
L2Logic. Go get a book and broaden your mind.
Wanna check up on what I wrote? Get any textbook on physiology and pathology.
Or trust me, I'm a Lvl 70 durid <--- definite argument from authority.
Lastly and unrelatedly, I will say this:
sugar and milk does not chocolate make.
Mars bars is chocolate? WTF???? Since when?
Mars bars = Milky bars = FTL
Lindt Dark Chocolate FTW
Scientific objectivity? Sir!
"Sadly for anyone who relishes objective science, the work has been funded by Mars."
I know of no objective reason why Earth should object to the objectivity or lack thereof, of Martian scientists.
Please refrain from planetism - good grief, gentlemen, surely Earthly racism is blight sufficient?!
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