Eating Chocolate Could Improve Brain Function, Study Suggests

Science claims that chocolate could make us smarter, and who are we to argue with science?

The research comes from a study recently published in the Appetite scientific journal that claims eating moderate amounts of chocolate can actually improve your cognitive thinking.

The study analyzed residents in Syracuse, New York, and found that "More frequent chocolate consumption was significantly associated with better performance on [tests including] Visual-Spatial Memory and Organization, Working Memory, Scanning and Tracking, Abstract Reasoning, and the Mini-Mental State Examination."

Ever since that one fake study fooled everyone into thinking that chocolate could help you lose weight, we've been skeptical of any scientific research touting the health benefits of being a chocoholic. It sounds too good to be true, and it just may be: According to the researchers, although each participant's entire dietary habits were taken into account, chocolate consumption was not differentiated by type.

But flavanols, the good stuff found in cocoa that is known to improve heart, muscle, and brain health, are primarily associated with dark chocolate. As a reminder: Eating a giant Hershey bar every day won't help your memory, and may lead to health complications.

The original study may also be a case of correlation, not causation:

"From a dietary perspective, those who ate chocolate also consumed more energy overall, and more daily servings of meat, vegetables and dairy foods, but significantly less alcohol," researchers say.