TY - JOUR
T1 - Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function
T2 - The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study
AU - Crichton, Georgina E.
AU - Elias, Merrill F.
AU - Alkerwi, Ala'a
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the three primary investigators of the MSLS (Prof Merrill Elias, Prof Michael Robbins and David H. P. Streeten, MD). The research was supported in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (grants HL67358 and HL81290 ) and the National Institute on Aging (grant AG03055 ) of the National Institutes of Health to the University of Maine. GEC was supported by a Sidney Sax Research Fellowship ( National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia , grant number APP1054567 ). AA was supported by a grant from the Fond National de Recherche for the project DIQUA-LUX (5870404) , Luxembourg. The funding sources had no involvement in data collection, writing of the report or decision to submit the article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2016/5/1
Y1 - 2016/5/1
N2 - Chocolate and cocoa flavanols have been associated with improvements in a range of health complaints dating from ancient times, and has established cardiovascular benefits. Less is known about the effects of chocolate on neurocognition and behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chocolate intake was associated with cognitive function, with adjustment for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors. Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken on 968 community-dwelling participants, aged 23-98 years, from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS). Habitual chocolate intake was related to cognitive performance, measured with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests. More frequent chocolate consumption was significantly associated with better performance on the Global Composite score, Visual-Spatial Memory and Organization, Working Memory, Scanning and Tracking, Abstract Reasoning, and the Mini-Mental State Examination. With the exception of Working Memory, these relations were not attenuated with statistical control for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors. Prospective analyses revealed no association between cognitive function and chocolate intake measured up to 18 years later. Further intervention trials and longitudinal studies are needed to explore relations between chocolate, cocoa flavanols and cognition, and the underlying causal mechanisms.
AB - Chocolate and cocoa flavanols have been associated with improvements in a range of health complaints dating from ancient times, and has established cardiovascular benefits. Less is known about the effects of chocolate on neurocognition and behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chocolate intake was associated with cognitive function, with adjustment for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors. Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken on 968 community-dwelling participants, aged 23-98 years, from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS). Habitual chocolate intake was related to cognitive performance, measured with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests. More frequent chocolate consumption was significantly associated with better performance on the Global Composite score, Visual-Spatial Memory and Organization, Working Memory, Scanning and Tracking, Abstract Reasoning, and the Mini-Mental State Examination. With the exception of Working Memory, these relations were not attenuated with statistical control for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors. Prospective analyses revealed no association between cognitive function and chocolate intake measured up to 18 years later. Further intervention trials and longitudinal studies are needed to explore relations between chocolate, cocoa flavanols and cognition, and the underlying causal mechanisms.
KW - Chocolate
KW - Cocoa flavanols
KW - Cognitive function
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84958972419&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.010
DO - 10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 26873453
AN - SCOPUS:84958972419
SN - 0195-6663
VL - 100
SP - 126
EP - 132
JO - Appetite
JF - Appetite
ER -