Cocoa extract supplements boost the cognitive abilities of seniors who eat poor-quality diets, a new study suggests.
- Cocoa extract showed a potential protective effect on cognition in seniors.
- However, these beneficial effects are only observed in seniors with a poor quality diet.
- Further work is needed to confirm the results.
If you don’t eat healthily, it’s in your best interest to rely on cocoa, according to a new study from mass General Brigham. Researchers found that taking cocoa extract supplements had cognitive benefits for older adults with poor diets.
Their work was published in the journal Tea American Journal of Clinical NutritionDecember 7, 2023.
Cocoa and cognition: divergent results
To understand the effect of cocoa on cognitive health, scientists used data from the study Cocoa Extra charge and Multivitamin Outcomes (COSMOS). As part of this trial, 21,442 participants aged over 60 were asked to take daily cocoa extract supplements and/or a daily cocoa extract supplement. multivitamins and minerals or even a placebo. 573 volunteers also completed detailed cognitive tests over two years.
Initially, the analysis of their file ensured that daily supplementation with cocoa extract had no overall benefit on the overall or specific cognitive function of seniors. However, a second look at the data collected showed that participants with poor-quality diets showed cognitive benefits when taking the cocoa extract supplement.
Scocoa supplementation: benefits that require more work pushed
The research team specifies in a press release from their establishment that “THE results of this study – which was carried out among COSMOS participants who presented in person for detailed cognitive testing – are consistent with the results of previous work that used an online cognitive assessment conducted over the Internet with separately recruited volunteers.“
The scientists concluded that the possible cognitive benefits of taking cocoa extract supplements revealed for people with poorer quality diets, justify further, more in-depth research to verify and understand the link that they discovered.
