Effects of cocoa-rich chocolate on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. A randomised clinical trial

Objectives The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of adding 10 g of cocoa-rich chocolate (99%) to the habitual diet on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. Methods Following a randomised controlled parallel clinical trial, a total of 140 postmenopausal women aged 50-64 were recruited. The intervention group (n = 73) consumed daily 10 g of chocolate (99% cocoa) in addition to their usual food intake for 6 months, whereas the control group (n = 67) did not receive any intervention. Attention and executive functions, verbal memory, working memory, phonological fluency, category fluency and clinical variables were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results Trail Making Test B execution time showed a decreased of -12.08 s (95% CI: -23.99, -0.18; p = 0.047) in the intervention group compared to the control group, after adjusting for age, educational level, time elapsed from the beginning of menopause and daily energy consumption (Cohen's d = -0.343). Attention, immediate or delayed verbal memory, phonological or category fluency, and working memory remained unchanged. Conclusions The consumption of cocoa-rich (99%) chocolate in addition to the habitual diet could be related to a slight improvement in cognitive performance regarding cognitive flexibility and processing speed in postmenopausal women, with no changes in the rest of the cognitive performance variables evaluated.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of consuming 10 grams of cocoa-rich chocolate on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. The findings suggest that adding cocoa-rich chocolate to the daily diet may lead to a slight improvement in cognitive flexibility and processing speed in postmenopausal women.