Good chocolate, as everyone knows, is good for the heart and the entire cardiovascular system. Flavonoids, antioxidants present in very high concentrations in cocoa, stimulate the production of enzymes and combat free radicals, countering the blood's tendency to clot and therefore the risk of thrombosis. A bitter flavour in chocolate indicates a high flavonoid content.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with Kanazawa University in Japan, have turned their attention to another virtue of cocoa: its capacity to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease.

The research team, coordinated by Dr Giulio Maria Pasinetti, Saunders Family Chair and Professor of Neurology at the ISM, discovered that the extract of a particular type of cocoa, Lavado, is capable of reducing damage to the nerve pathways found in Alzheimer's patients, even before symptoms appear. The test involved several types of cocoa, but Lavado proved the most effective in countering the disease, thanks to a higher concentration of natural antioxidants.
The study showed that the extract prevents the β-amyloid protein (Aβ) from forming sticky clumps in the brain, which damage nerve cells over the course of the disease.

"Our data suggest that Lavado cocoa extract prevents the abnormal formation of Aβ into aggregated oligomeric structures, in order to prevent damage and cognitive decline. Since cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease is believed to begin decades before the appearance of symptoms, we believe our findings have major implications for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia," explained Pasinetti.
According to what was reported by the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, which published the study, "a Lavado cocoa-based dietary supplement may prove to be a safe, inexpensive and readily accessible means of preventing Alzheimer's disease, even in its early, asymptomatic stages."

Foto in evidenza ©Patty Nguyen