Zhaorong Tu, Week 16: Chocolate's Benefits to Memory
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When it’s not mixed with an unreasonable amount of sugar and saturated fats, chocolate is actually quite a healthy snack. As part of a healthy regiment with a controlled diet and consistent exercise, chocolate offers several health benefits. Among its widely accepted associations with reduced inflammation and lower blood pressure, chocolate is also surprisingly beneficial to memory.
Here’s how it works. Purer dark chocolates with higher cocoa concentrations are rich in flavanols. Dietary research has found correlations between flavonoid consumption and antioxidant activity, resulting in improved blood flow, which suggests that it may be beneficial for brain activity. Specifically, cocoa flavanols can increase blood flow to the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. This structure acts as a “preprocessor” of information, playing a critical role in creating memories, and is particularly vulnerable to aging. Therefore, the memory decline presented by aging is mitigated through cocoa consumption.
So what are the actual benefits to memory? Well, one study measuring short-term word retention found a positive correlation between the quality of short-term memory and immediate chocolate consumption among most age groups. Another study has also tracked long-term chocolate consumption over several months and found correlations between sustained cocoa intake and heightened performance on memory tests. The general consensus is that regular consumption of cocoa improves memory performance and general cognition.
Of course, as with any other food, chocolate should be eaten in moderation. Most manufactured chocolate products still contain high amounts of sugar and fats. Even darker chocolates are calorically dense by nature and contain potentially unwanted byproducts like caffeine.
Hi Zhaorong! I found your blog quite intriguing as I was also one of the majority who lived under the assumption that chocolate consumed at any level was generally bad. However, after reading your blog, I understood that there are benefits to eating chocolate such as improved memory and general cognition. I have always recollected one benefit of consuming chocolate as being able to stay awake for longer, but I am still unsure as to whether this is scientifically proven or whether this only applies to me. However, I can proudly claim that it works for me. I am glad that you ended your blog by once again reminding us the importance of “moderation” in your argument as I also agree that any food item consumed must be done so with moderation for an individual to experience its benefits to the fullest. Thank you for your informational blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Zhaorong! In fourth grade, I ate some chocolate before my swim test at Calphin because I read somewhere that chocolate makes you happy and perform better and I was super nervous. I don't know if it was the chocolate or if it was just a coincidence, but I absolutely did wonderful on that swim test and beat a lot of my personal records too. Since then, I have been a firm believer of consuming chocolate before important exams. Before AP Calculus, my lovely senior friend woke up early just to come to school and give me and some of her other friends chocolate (I love her), and well, I'd like to believe that the chocolate helped me get a 5. I generally don't enjoy eating chocolate though, so to me, chocolate is more of a good luck charm than something I'd normally consume because it is tasty.
ReplyDeleteHello Zhaorong! I bring chocolate to every single big test I have for the very reasons that you have written out. While I normally do not ever eat chocolate, nor eat during tests, I find that chocolate has the best effects on my test results, not any other kind of foods. I find that my test grades tend to be much greater whenever I bring chocolate on my tests. I brought a massive stick of KitKat every single AP test, and I hope I did well on them. I brought chocolate to my 2nd SAT test and my PSAT test: I did really good on those two tests. Chocolate works on tests: you should try it too.
ReplyDeleteHey Zhaorong, this week you have introduced a very unique and interesting topic revolving around increased performance and chocolate. While I haven't particularly eaten much chocolate or candy in recent years, I will occasionally eat my chocolate of choice, Milky Way, when it is available. However, if there is a correlation between the consumption of chocolate and quality of short-term memory, it would be highly advantageous from a purely efficiency-based standpoint. From a taste standpoint, it's also highly beneficial, leading me to believe that eating chocolate before high-importance or stress situations like tests would be a win-win in both regards. Whether it's a placebo or not, if it works it works, so I'll definitely be trying this out at some point in the near future.
ReplyDeleteHi Zhaorong, I've definitely heard about the health benefits of chocolate but have never actually took the time to understand the science behind it, so thank you for educating me! While I'm not the biggest fan of things too sweet, I often crave chocolate, especially when I'm studying. Now I'm thinking that it might be coincidence that I want chocolate while I'm trying to memorize material. I'll definitely keep in mind to bring chocolate to my tests and exams since I now know that it definitely helps. Thanks for covering such an interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteHi Zharong, despite my love for chocolate, I never actually knew about the health benefits of chocolate, so thanks for educating me about these health benefits. I was always under the assumption that because of the sugar, chocolate is always bad for you, so your blog was very surprising and interesting. It amazes me how a simple snack can have so many significant health benefits, especially something like improved memory, which seems so unrelated. After reading your blog, I will definitely start eating chocolates before tests to improve my memory and hopefully, a chocolate bar will be enough to save me in tomorrow’s The Things They Carry test.
ReplyDeleteHi Zhaorang, I am a big fan of eating chocolate, although I am more of a candy type of person I have always known that eating dark chocolate is good for the body, but I never knew that the same effects apply for milk chocolate as well. I like eating Hersheys, but I am almost certain that the chocolate bar is detrimental to my health because I do not feel in my best condition after consuming on. On the other hand, when I eat dark chocolate, I feel a bit more energetic and I do not feel lethargic afterwards. I wonder what are the best chocolates to eat, and where does Hersheys sit on the list.
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