New Delhi: Having trouble with memory and stress? A piece of dark chocolate or a handful of berries may help improve your memory and reduce stress, according to a study involving animals.
The enhancement of memory and cognition may be attributed to flavanols, which are found abundantly in cocoa and berries, according to a team from Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan.
A study published in the journal *Current Research in Food Science* has shown that the intake of flavanols can trigger a variety of physiological responses similar to those induced by exercise. These compounds act as moderate stressors that activate the central nervous system, enhancing attention, arousal, and memory. Additionally, flavanols protect against neuronal damage.
Dr Yasuyuki Fujii from the Shibaura Institute noted, “The stress responses induced by flavanols in this study are akin to those elicited by physical exercise. Therefore, moderate consumption of flavanols, despite their low bioavailability, can lead to improvements in health and quality of life.”
In this study, the research team explored how flavanols influence the nervous system through sensory stimulation. They tested the hypothesis that the astringent taste of flavanols—described as a dry, puckering, rough, or sandpapery sensation in the mouth—may serve as a direct signal to the brain.
The researchers conducted experiments using 10-week-old mice, administering flavanols orally at doses of 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg of body weight, while control mice received only distilled water.
Behavioural tests indicated that the mice fed flavanols showed increased motor activity, greater exploratory behaviour, and improved learning and memory compared to the control group.
Flavanols enhanced neurotransmitter activity across various brain regions. Dopamine and its precursor levodopa, as well as norepinephrine and its metabolite normetanephrine, were elevated in the brain immediately after administration.
These chemicals play a crucial role in regulating motivation, attention, stress responses, and arousal.
Additionally, the enzymes essential for synthesising noradrenaline—tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase—as well as the vesicular monoamine transporter 2, which is responsible for noradrenaline transport, were found to be upregulated. This enhances the signalling capacity of the noradrenergic system.
Furthermore, biochemical analyses revealed elevated levels of catecholamines in urine, which are hormones released during stress. There was also increased activity observed in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a brain region that is critical for regulating stress.
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Photo: AI-generated image/IANS
–IANS
