Researchers determine that flavanols —found in cocoa and a variety of other fruits and vegetables— can increase mental processing speed.
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Flavanols are a naturally occurring compound found in fruit and vegetables. A sub-group of plant-based flavonoids, the beneficial group of molecules is found in cocoa, grapes, tea, berries, and a variety of other foods. While flavanols have always been known to bring positive health effects to the body, recently scientists have begun researching the effect that flavanols have on mental processing speeds. The results are favorable, with researchers determining that eating more flavanol-rich food can speed up your mental agility.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences department set out to examine if consuming a drink with high levels of flavanols could improve mental performance when compared to a non-flavanol enhanced drink. The experiment, led by Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, investigated brain blood oxygenation and the potential link flavanols may have on processing speed.
Previously, flavanols’ effect on other biological processes and systems have been studied, such as flavanols' effect on the cardiovascular system. However, this experiment is one of the first examples of researchers studying the effect that flavanols have on brain health, particularly using young, healthy participants. In the experiment, 18 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 40 consumed a beverage —once with enhanced flavanols and another lacking enhanced flavanols. After consumption, participants were exposed to a non-invasive procedure to measure oxygenation levels in the brain. Once this was completed, researchers gave each participant a variety of challenging mental tests.
The results of the experiment showed that, on average, consuming products with flavanols increased brain blood oxygenation and improved mental performance. On average, the participants performed roughly 11% faster after taking the flavanol-enriched drink. However, this was not the case for all participants. The results also showed that individuals who already had higher than average levels of brain blood oxygenation did not show a notable improvement in mental processing speed. This indicates that a threshold on brain oxygenation exists which limits the effectiveness of consuming flavanols.
Dr. Rendeiro explained that the goal of her team’s research in exploring the cognitive effects of flavanols was to “…offer improved guidance to people about how to make the most of their dietary choices.” While the experiment used cocoa when testing, flavanols are also commonly found in a variety of healthy foods.
So what does this mean for the majority of us? If more evidence and research conclusively continue to link flavanol filled food with increased mental processing speeds, then in the future, it might potentially be likely to find more sports performance and energy drinks packed with flavanols, among other uses. For now, researchers will continue to work on expanding the level of research available on the cognitive effects of flavanols.
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