Cocoa clue to reversing memory loss<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/cocoa-clue-reversing-memory-loss-195304999.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/tgkU_Vi.0e2f8NOb7XX4Vg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/0854afba648835a224225be72740e87a7975462f.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Scientists reported that flavanols, extracted from cocoa beans, sharply reversed age-related memory decline in a group of volunteers" align="left" title="Scientists reported that flavanols, extracted from cocoa beans, sharply reversed age-related memory decline in a group of volunteers" border="0" /></a>The compounds, called flavanols, were taken in a specially-prepared cocoa drink, according to an experiment published by the journal Nature Neuroscience. Over three months, 37 healthy volunteers aged 50-69 had a daily drink containing either a high dose of flavanols -- 900 milligrammes -- or a low dose, 10mg. The scientists carried out brain imaging, measuring blood volume in a key part of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus, a region of memory formation whose performance typically declines as one ages. The tests entailed a 20-minute pattern-recognition exercise designed to assess a type of memory controlled by the dentate gyrus.</p><br clear="all"/>
Source: Cocoa clue to reversing memory loss (http://news.yahoo.com/cocoa-clue-reversing-memory-loss-195304999.html)