Why do the elderly need to eat chocolate?

Chocolate can enhance cognitive functions like memory, visual processing speed as well as fight various mental disorders, especially in older adults.

Benefits of chocolate. Photo: Internet

The benefits of chocolate come from its main ingredient, cocoa beans. This is a source of flavanols - natural compounds that have neuroprotective effects.

Studies show that in the elderly, eating cocoa daily can improve general cognition, attention, and memory processing speed.

“The study shows the potential of cocoa flavanols to protect the cognitive function of older adults by improving cognition,” said Valentia Socci of the University of L'Aquila in Italy. “Flavanols are beneficial for cardiovascular health and increase blood flow to the brain region responsible for cognitive functioning, which is vulnerable to deterioration over time in older adults.”

Additionally, cocoa is beneficial for women who suffer from insomnia due to night shift work and those who work with poor accuracy.

In the journal Frontiers Nutrition, scientists say that the effects of cocoa are relatively long-lasting, from 5 days to 3 months. However, Mr. Michele Farrara of L'Aquila University said: "Consuming this product still has side effects. These substances contain a lot of calories and substances such as caffeine, theobromine and a series of other addictive substances that we add such as sugar, milk."

According to Giaoducthoidai