Fw: Chocolate, wine and tea improve brain performance

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Chocolate, wine and tea improve brain performance

December 22nd, 2008 in Medicine & Health / Health

(PhysOrg.com) -- 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.

The latest findings seem to support the theory, although the researchers

caution that more research would be needed to prove that it was flavonoids,

rather than some other aspect of the foods studied, that made the

difference.The effect was most pronounced for wine.

However, say the researchers, those overdoing it at Christmas should note

that while moderate alcohol consumption is associated with better cognitive

function and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, heavy alcohol

intake could be one of many causes of dementia - as well as a host of other

health problems.

Provided by Oxford University

http://www.physorg.com/news149185135.html

Posted by

Karl Stonjek