Overview
- In experiments from Japan’s Shibaura Institute of Technology, mice given flavanols about an hour before a task performed roughly 30% better at recognizing new objects.
- The team reports that the bitter taste of flavanols triggers nerve signals to the locus coeruleus, prompting a burst of noradrenaline in the hippocampus tied to memory formation.
- The benefits were short-lived at around an hour and involved doses higher than those found in a typical serving of dark chocolate.
- Researchers observed broader responses in mice, including increased motor activity and exploratory behavior resembling exercise-induced arousal.
- The study, published in Current Research in Food Science, offers a mechanism for prior flavanol–cognition links, though comparable effects in humans remain unproven and overuse could carry risks.