Back in 2009, I reported briefly on a large Norwegian study that found that older adults who consumed chocolate, wine, and tea performed significantly better on cognitive tests. The association was assumed to be linked to the flavanols in these products. A new study confirms this finding, and extends it to older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

The study involved 90 older adults with MCI, who consumed either 990 milligrams, 520 mg, or 45 mg of a dairy-based cocoa drink daily for eight weeks. Their diet was restricted to eliminate other sources of flavanols (such as tea, red wine, apples and grapes).

Cognitive assessment at the end of this period revealed that, although scores on the MMSE were similar across all groups, those consuming higher levels of flavanol cocoa took significantly less time to complete Trail Making Tests A and B, and scored significantly higher on the verbal fluency test. Insulin resistance and blood pressure was also lower.

Those with the highest levels of flavanols did better than those on intermediate levels on the cognitive tests. Both did better than those on the lowest levels.

Changes in insulin resistance explained part, but not all, of the cognitive improvement.

One caveat: the group were generally in good health without known cardiovascular disease — thus, not completely representative of all those with MCI.