Healthy adult brains recovered faster from mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if participants consumed cocoa flavonols first, the researchers said in the journal. Scientific reports. In the study, 14 out of 18 participants saw this improvement after eating flavonolo.
Previous studies have shown that eating foods rich in flavonols can benefit vascular function, but this is the first to have a positive effect on vascular function of the brain and cognitive function in young healthy adults, said the researcher and nutritionist. University of Birmingham Who did research with Monica Fabiani and Gabriel Greton, professors of urban-champion psychology at the University of Illinois.
“Flavonols are small molecules found in fruits and vegetables and cocoa,” Rendero said. “They give fruits and vegetables their bright colors, and they are known to benefit vascular function. We want to know if flavonols also benefit the blood vessels of the brain and whether they can have a positive effect on cognitive function. ”
Katarina Rendero, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham in Nutritional Sciences, discovered that cocoa flavonols improve the oxidation and cognition of the brain in healthy adults. Credit: Photo courtesy Katarina Rendero
The team recruited adults with a known brain, heart, vascular, or respiratory disease, arguing that any effects seen in this population would provide evidence that dietary flavonols can improve brain function in healthy people.
The team tested 18 participants before taking their cocoa flavonols and in two separate tests, in which one of the subjects received flavonol-rich cocoa and in the meantime they drank processed cocoa with very low levels of flavonols. Both participants and researchers did not know what type of cocoa was drunk in each trial. This double blind study design prevents the expectations of researchers or participants from affecting the results.
About two hours after consuming cocoa, participants inhaled air with 5% carbon dioxide – about 100 times the normal concentration in the air. This is a great way to challenge Brett’s vasculature to determine how well he responds, Great said.
He said the body usually reacts by increasing blood flow to the brain.
“This brings in more oxygen and also helps the brain remove more carbon dioxide,” he said.
With functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique that uses light to capture changes in blood flow to the brain, the team measured oxygen oxygen in the frontal cortex, a brain region that plays a key role in planning, regulating behavior and making decisions.
“This allows you to measure how the brain protects itself from excess carbon dioxide,” Fabiani said.
The researchers challenged participants with complex tasks that required them to handle conflicting or competing demands.
The majority of participants had a stronger and faster response to brain oxygen after exposure to cocoa flavonols made at baseline or after eating cocoa-deficient flavonols, the researchers found.
“Maximum oxygen oxygen levels were more than three times higher in low-flavono cocoa versus low-flavanol cocoa, and the reaction of oxygen oxygen was about one minute faster,” Rendero said.
Along with her colleagues, University of Illinois Psychology professors Gabriel Greton, left, and Monica Fabiani have found evidence that taking flavonols can have a positive effect on neurovascular health and brain function. Credit: L. Photo by Brian Staufur
After drinking cocoa flavonols, participants performed well on even the most challenging cognitive tests, correctly solving problems 11% faster than baseline or when they drank cocoa with reduced flavonols. However, there is no measurement difference in performance on simple tasks.
“This suggests that flavonoids can only be beneficial during cognitive tasks that are more challenging,” Rendero said.
Participants varied their responses to cocoa flavonols, the researchers found.
“Although most people benefited from flavonol intake, there was a small group that didn’t,” Rendero said. There was no significant difference in brain oxygenation response in four of the 18 study subjects after taking flavonolo, nor did their performance improve in tests.
“Because these four participants already have the highest oxygen oxidation response at baseline, this indicates that those who are already quite fit have very little room for improvement.” “Overall, the findings suggest that improvements in vascular activity after exposure to flavonols are associated with an improvement in cognitive function.”
Ref: November 24, 2020 Scientific reports.
DOI: 10.1038 / s41598-020-76160-9
Fabiani and Greton are collaborators at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.
The research was supported by the Birmingham-Illinois Seed Grant and the National Institute on Aging.
