Health: Cocoa & The Brain, Restoring Your Younger Mind
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Call them delicious discoveries: The idea that some seemingly sinful foods, like red wine and coffee, are actually good for us.
New research shows a component of cocoa may actually help reverse memory loss associated with aging by decades.
Exercise is a sure bet and so are red wine and cross-word puzzles. Researchers say those are things that keep your brain sharp.
"When I was younger, I had a photographic memory," says 62-year-old Rachel Yarmolinsky.
Rachel became worried when her memory started to slip.
Doctors say brain power starts to delcine in our thirties.
"I know exactly what I mean, who I mean and I can't come up and say the name," say Rachel. "It's very frustrating."
So Rachel went back to school to earn a master's degree as a way to stimulate her brain.
"Dark chocolates are good too, by the way," says Drexel neurologist Dr. Carol Lippa.
She says anti-oxident foods like dark chocolate can also help boost memory.
"Cocoa flavanols," adds Dr. Small Scott, a Columbia University neurologist.
Dr. Small expanded on research that showed unprocessed cocoa improved memory in mice.
His research on 40 people showed raw cocoa beans made into a special drink improved mental function.
"We actually showed a reversal in memory loss in older individuals, which was remarkable to us," said Dr. Small.
Even more remarkable is how much the flavanols turned back the 'cognitive clock'.
"Participants improved several decades worth," said Dr. Richard Sloan, professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University.
Not only did participants report a boost in memory but neuro-imaging showed improvements in the part of the brain that correlates with memory.
"Yes, it was pretty amazing and yes, we're all excited," says Dr. Sloan.
But researchers still don't know how long results will last or if flavanols also improve the memory of those suffering from dementia.
"That's a question that remains outstanding," said Dr. Small.
It's important to know that the cocoa in the research is not the kind found in candy.
Researchers say the chocolate that's tasty is processed and doesn't contain enough flavanols so the cocoa cure will probably come in the form of a supplement.
