A tasty drink made with chocolate and caffeine can improve your thinking — here's how to make it

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/7sJNTAwaRwk/cococaf-chocolate-caffeine-cocktail-can-improve-your-thinking-study-2017-4
April 29, 2017 at 05:30PM

The next few months are challenging for most of us. High school and university students have mid-term and final exams, papers to submit, and thesis studies to document. At work, many of us have year-long projects to complete.

Success in all of these depends upon quick thinking, and a recent study shows there's a tasty drink that could help clarify our thinking.

SEE ALSO: Here are all the health benefits you get from drinking pomegranate juice

DON'T MISS: The 'ABCDE' method is the best way to conquer the common cold — here's how it works

The cocktail that improves your thinking

A collaborative research team from New York's Clarkson University, the University of Wisconsin, and the Oregon Science University studied a group of 24 students at the University of Georgia. Each test subject took a mental energy test battery before and 3 times after consuming a series of three test drinks. One contained only caffeine, one contained only cocoa, and the third contained both cocoa and caffeine.

All drinks were provided in unlabeled packets by The Hershey Company, a commercial partner in the study. The study was randomized and double-blinded as neither the test subjects nor the investigators knew which drink produced which results during the testing sessions.

After the codes were broken and results tabulated, the researchers found that the cocoa-caffeine cocktail significantly boosted cognitive performance and attention to task. 

Comparing test results from drinking the cocktail to drinking caffeine alone revealed that the the cocoa with its flavanols reduced the subjects' anxiety levels during the test sessions permitting better performance. 

The results did not reveal improvement in the subjects' motivation and energy levels. Other studies, though, have shown that the flavanols in cocoa and dark chocolate do have a positive effect on mood and problem-solving.

The study cocktail contained 70 mg of caffeine and 455 mg of flavanols. The researchers specifically avoided sugar and dairy additives. Sugar would add another variable to the test drinks, and dairy ingredients have been shown to reduce the bioavailability and effectiveness of the flavanols.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider