Effects of cocoa-rich chocolate on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. A randomised clinical trial

[ENG]Objectives: The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of adding 10 g of cocoa-rich chocolate (99%) to the habitual diet on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. Methods: Following a randomised controlled parallel clinical trial, a total of 140 postmenopausal women aged 50–64...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Garcia-Yu, Irene A, García Ortiz, Luis, Gómez Marcos, Manuel Ángel, Rodríguez Sánchez, Emiliano, Mora Simón, Sara Pilar, Maderuelo Fernández, José A., Recio Rodríguez, José Ignacio
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2022
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositório:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/156903
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/156903
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Chocolate
Polyphenols
Postmenopause
Cognition
Executive function
Attention
Memory
Descrição
Resumo:[ENG]Objectives: The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of adding 10 g of cocoa-rich chocolate (99%) to the habitual diet on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women. Methods: Following a randomised controlled parallel clinical trial, a total of 140 postmenopausal women aged 50–64 were recruited. The intervention group (n = 73) consumed daily 10 g of chocolate (99% cocoa) in addition to their usual food intake for 6 months, whereas the control group (n = 67) did not receive any intervention. Attention and executive functions, verbal memory, working memory, phonological fluency, category fluency and clinical variables were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results: Trail Making Test B execution time showed a decreased of −12.08 s (95% CI: −23.99, −0.18; p = 0.047) in the intervention group compared to the control group, after adjusting for age, educational level, time elapsed from the beginning of menopause and daily energy consumption (Cohen’s d = −0.343). Attention, immediate or delayed verbal memory, phonological or category fluency, and working memory remained unchanged. Conclusions: The consumption of cocoa-rich (99%) chocolate in addition to the habitual diet could be related to a slight improvement in cognitive performance regarding cognitive flexibility and processing speed in postmenopausal women, with no changes in the rest of the cognitive performance variables evaluated. Trial registration: This clinical trial has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03492983.