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Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in acute improvements in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort.

Date:
Publisher: British Association for Psychopharmacology
Authors: ​Scholey, A. B.; French, S. J.; Morris, P. J.; Kennedy, D. O.; Milne, A. L.; Haskell, C. F.

Cocoa flavanols (CF) positively influence physiological processes in ways that suggest theirconsumption may improve aspects of cognitive function. This study investigated the acute cognitiveand subjective effects of CF consumption during sustained mental demand. In this randomized, controlled, double-blinded, balanced, three period crossover trial 30 healthy adults consumed drinks containing 520 mg, 994 mg CF and a matched control, with a three-day washout between drinks. Assessments included the state anxiety inventory and repeated 10-min cycles of a Cognitive Demand Battery comprising of two serial subtraction tasks (Serial Threes and Serial Sevens), a Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP) task and a 'mental fatigue' scale, over the course of 1 h. Consumptionof both 520 mg and 994 mg CF significantly improved Serial Threes performance. The 994 mg CF beverage significantly speeded RVIP responses but also resulted in more errors during Serial Sevens. Increases in self-reported 'mental fatigue' were significantly attenuated by the consumptionof the 520 mg CF beverage only. This is the first report of acute cognitive improvements following CFconsumption in healthy adults. While the mechanisms underlying the effects are unknown they may be related to known effects of CF on endothelial function and blood flow.

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