Departamento de Metabolismo y Nutrición, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición (ICTAN-CSIC), C/José Antonio Nováis, 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Nutrients. 2020 Nov 30;12(12):3691. doi: 10.3390/nu12123691.
Increasing evidence support a beneficial role of cocoa and cocoa products on human cognition, particularly in aging populations and patients at risk. However, thorough reviews on the efficacy of cocoa on brain processes in young adults do not exist precisely due to the limited number of studies in the matter. Thus, the aim of this study was to summarize the findings on the acute and chronic effects of cocoa administration on cognitive functions and brain health in young adults. Web of Science and PubMed databases were used to search for relevant trials. Human randomized controlled studies were selected according to PRISMA guidelines. Eleven intervention studies that involved a total of 366 participants investigating the role of cocoa on cognitive performance in children and young adults (average age ≤ 25 years old) were finally selected. Findings from individual studies confirm that acute and chronic cocoa intake have a positive effect on several cognitive outcomes. After acute consumption, these beneficial effects seem to be accompanied with an increase in cerebral blood flow or cerebral blood oxygenation. After chronic intake of cocoa flavanols in young adults, a better cognitive performance was found together with increased levels of neurotrophins. This systematic review further supports the beneficial effect of cocoa flavanols on cognitive function and neuroplasticity and indicates that such benefits are possible in early adulthood.
越来越多的证据支持可可和可可制品对人类认知能力有益，尤其是对老年人和高危人群。然而，由于该领域的研究数量有限，目前还没有关于可可对年轻人大脑功能的疗效的全面综述。因此，本研究旨在总结可可对年轻人认知功能和大脑健康的急性和慢性影响的研究结果。本研究使用 Web of Science 和 PubMed 数据库搜索相关试验。根据 PRISMA 指南，选择了涉及可可对儿童和年轻人（平均年龄≤ 25 岁）认知表现作用的人类随机对照研究。最终共选择了 11 项干预研究，共涉及 366 名参与者。来自个别研究的结果证实，可可的急性和慢性摄入对多种认知结果都有积极影响。急性摄入后，这些有益的效果似乎伴随着脑血流或脑氧合的增加。在年轻人中慢性摄入可可黄烷醇后，发现认知表现更好，神经生长因子水平升高。这项系统评价进一步支持了可可黄烷醇对认知功能和神经可塑性的有益影响，并表明这种益处可能在成年早期就已经存在。
