Chocolate found to enhance cognitive performance

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:12 am

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/05/24/ch ... index.html

Summary: eating chocolate may not make you permanently smarter, but it stimulates the brain enabling a temporary but very real and measurable performance boost.

Three chemicals are credited for the effect: theobromine, phenethylamine, and caffeine.

--James

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:52 am

So where does this put people who get headaches and/or migraines from eating chocolate? The report says that these constituent chemicals in chocolate increase blood flow and help control glucose release. Does that mean that those who get headaches have blood circulation problems, or could it be a severe case of mental constipation? Do the migraines indicate an inability to function at the higher levels reported in the test subjects, or could this be a sign of an insidious plot by the Crystal People to prevent us from getting too smart and hoaerh' JAO eja-3jajfka a
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hjsdfa

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Thu May 25, 2006 11:03 am

Given to the right person, at the right time, chocolate can enhance more than merely cognitive performance.

Jef

missy · Post by **missy** » Thu May 25, 2006 11:59 am

Jeferson wrote:Given to the right person, at the right time, chocolate can enhance more than merely cognitive performance.

Jef

nope.... nuhhuh..... not saying a thing.......

(make mine dark chocolate....)

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:14 pm

IIRC, you need to consume dark chocolate with a minimum of something around 72% chocolate content for the benefits to kick in.

And I'm a milk chocolate fan. Drat.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:16 pm

Nanohedron wrote:And I'm a milk chocolate fan. Drat.

"Philistine. Apostate. Bad person."

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:40 pm

Nano wrote:IIRC, you need to consume dark chocolate with a minimum of something around 72% chocolate content for the benefits to kick in.

Perhaps you are confusing the benefits of chocolate as a stimulant versus the benefits of chocolate as a source of antioxidants (which is where the dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% real chocolate comes from). We chocoholics have to keep up on these things to maintain a well-balanced habit.

djm

herbivore12 · Post by **herbivore12** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:56 pm

It pains me to say it, but: I really don't like chocolate very much.

For my birthday celebrations growing up, Mom would bake one big chocolate cake for all the normal people, and would make a carrot cake or pound cake for me. I blew out the candles on the chocolate cake, but didn't partake.

I was also so freaked out by Jell-O, as an infant, that once I actually flipped right out my high-chair and onto the floor when a bowl of that wriggly crap was placed on the chair's little tray-thingie. I landed on my head, which probably explains a lot.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Thu May 25, 2006 3:06 pm

Nanohedron wrote:IIRC, you need to consume dark chocolate with a minimum of something around 72% chocolate content for the benefits to kick in.

And I'm a milk chocolate fan. Drat.

Nope, if you had actually looked at the article (assuming you didn't) you would have seen this below the headline. I know, with James summary it is hardly worth looking.

The Article wrote:Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new study hints that eating milk chocolate may boost brain function.

Monster · Post by **Monster** » Thu May 25, 2006 3:11 pm

herbivore12 wrote:It pains me to say it, but: I really don't like chocolate very much.

For my birthday celebrations growing up, Mom would bake one big chocolate cake for all the normal people, and would make a carrot cake or pound cake for me. I blew out the candles on the chocolate cake, but didn't partake.

I was also so freaked out by Jell-O, as an infant, that once I actually flipped right out my high-chair and onto the floor when a bowl of that wriggly crap was placed on the chair's little tray-thingie. I landed on my head, which probably explains a lot.

Herbivore, would a clown eating a bowl of jello be scary as well?

herbivore12 · Post by **herbivore12** » Thu May 25, 2006 4:08 pm

Monster wrote:
Herbivore, would a clown eating a bowl of jello be scary as well?

Huh?

But yeah. Clowns doing anything are sort of scary.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu May 25, 2006 4:53 pm

herbivore12 wrote:Clowns doing anything are sort of scary.

Especially if they're ....

Killer Clowns From Outer Space

A snippet of the movie theme song, of which nightmares are made: http://www.badmovies.org/movies/killerk ... s-song.wav

djm

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:58 am

The stuff got me through college!

But seriously, I found myself eating frightening amounts of the stuff my junior and senior years. Maybe there was something to it besides general gluttony. Well, that's my excuse anyway

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Fri May 26, 2006 8:01 am

Jeferson wrote:Given to the right person, at the right time, chocolate can enhance more than merely cognitive performance.

I don't think "right time" comes into it. Chocolate has been known to even fix the time.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:52 pm

djm wrote:
herbivore12 wrote:Clowns doing anything are sort of scary.
Especially if they're ....

Killer Clowns From Outer Space

A snippet of the movie theme song, of which nightmares are made: http://www.badmovies.org/movies/killerk ... s-song.wav

djm

I have to say that, that is probably the funniest horror movie I have ever seen.