Here is good news for the “chocolate eaters” and those, who are fed up with diets! Now you can cite scientific data in the confirmation of positive influence of chocolate on brain activity.
Consumption of chocolate strengthens brain activity and gives short-term splash of cognitive skills. Such conclusion has been made by the group of the British scientists under direction of Professor Ian Macdonald from the Nottingham University.
The scientists have investigated a hot chocolate drink in which a plenty of flavanols - the basic component of dark chocolate- contained. It was found out, that flavanols cause inflow of blood to key zones of a brain. This effect lasts for 2-3 hours that is enough for activation of the general brain activity and for the improvement of ability to cope with specific tasks.
The work of the British scientists, being represented at one of the largest scientific conferences in the USA, has caused the big interest. Prospects of chocolate application for treatment of vascular infringements, senile dementia and an insult were widely discussed. In chocolate the flavanols can be useful to struggle against chronic weariness, infringements of a dream and even for delay of ageing processes.
In his report Ian MacDonald has represented the results of the nuclear-magnetic brain tomography.  The attributes of strengthening of activity of a brain after the drunken cup of hot chocolate are obviously visible at these tomograms. An explanation of this effect is quite easy - the flavanols cause the expansion of blood vessels in brain, and the increase in the maintenance of oxygen in brain cells.
Unfortunately, nothing was told about the flavanoids. Ian McDonald has only informed, that the chocolate drink has been prepared in a special way, and flavanoids have other concentration in usual drinks.
Besides chocolate, flavanoids can also be found in the red wine, green tea, and bilberry.