FoodFacts.com was happy and surprised to read some new research that (loosely) links chocolate and increased brain power! We know how much some folks love chocolate and that it can often be a guilty pleasure. This information could alleviate some of the guilt.

Apparently, those countries that have the largest number of Nobel Prize winners are also the countries with the highest regular chocolate consumption per person. Seems pretty incredible, doesn’t it? Switzerland, for example, has one of the world’s largest numbers of Nobel laureates and it is also the country with the world’s highest chocolate consumption. This is actually from an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Swiss chocolate is very high quality, containing higher amounts of pure cocoa than other chocolates produced around the world. And, to really clarify the consumption part of the equation, Swiss people consume 120 three-ounce bars of chocolate each per year.

While the United States can happily claim our fair share of Nobel laureates, our population is much larger. The U.S. comes out in the middle of the list for these brainy prizewinners. And while we do consume quite a bit of chocolate, the products we consume are not as pure as those consumed in countries where chocolate is taken much more seriously. There are citizens of other countries who would not consider those products to be chocolates at all. For them, chocolate is an art form.

While the evidence can be considered a little farfetched, the data appears to be pretty solid. It seems that it is being attributed to the flavanols contained in cocoa. These are a subclass of flavanoids which are present in plant-based foods. Flavanoids have been linked to increased cognitive function. In fact, studies have shown that flavanoids are connected with reducing the risk of dementia.

Flavanols are thought to lower blood pressure and some animal studies have shown that they do improve cognitive ability.

The data examined showed that Switzerland is the top country for chocolate consumption and also ranks very high in its number of Nobel prizewinners. Sweden was another country cited for having had a very high number of Nobel laureates and plenty of chocolate lovers!

FoodFacts.com thought that this information, although fun and a little frivolous, looks like it may hold some truth based on the flavanol component of cocoa. Not to mention, we thought our community might enjoy learning about another reason why it may be okay to become better friends with chocolate!

There’s more information to learn about here:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251491.php