Los flavonoides del chocolate mejoran el flujo sangíneo del cerebro y, así, aumentan el oxígeno que podría permitir a las personas de edad mantener sus funciones cognitivas. Los flavonoides son componentes naturales del cacao.

Científicos de la Universidad de Harvard han estudiado a 34 voluntarios de 59 a 83 años a los que hicieron beber cacao rico en flavonoides. El flujo sanguíneo aumentó un 8% en una semana y 10% a los 15 días. Al aumentar el riego de la arteria cerebral media, los flavonoides podrían jugar un papel en el tratamiento de la isquemia cerebral y sus complicaciones.

Sorond FA, Lipsitz LA, Hollenberg NK, Fisher ND. Cerebral blood flow response to flavanol-rich cocoa in healthy elderly humans. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2008;4:433-40.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral ischemia is a common, morbid condition accompanied by cognitive decline. Recent reports on the vascular health benefits of flavanol-containing foods signify a promising approach to the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Our study was designed to investigate the effects of flavanol-rich cocoa (FRC) consumption on cerebral blood flow in older healthy volunteers. METHODS: We used transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound to measure mean blood flow velocity (MFV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in thirty-four healthy elderly volunteers (72 +/- 6 years) in response to the regular intake of FRC or flavanol-poor cocoa (FPC). RESULTS: In response to two weeks of FRC intake, MFV increased by 8% +/- 4% at one week (p = 0.01) and 10% +/- 4% (p = 0.04) at two weeks. In response to one week of cocoa, significantly more subjects in the FRC as compared with the FPC group had an increase in their MFV (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we show that dietary intake of FRC is associated with a significant increase in cerebral blood flow velocity in the MCA as measured by TCD. Our data suggest a promising role for regular cocoa flavanol's consumption in the treatment of cerebrovascular ischemic syndromes, including dementias and stroke.