SynthesisNutrients2020
Effect of Cocoa and Cocoa Products on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Polyphenol Supplementation on Memory Functioning in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Dietary Flavonoids and Human Cognition: A Meta-Analysis.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2022Pooled it
- The Health Effects of Chocolate and Cocoa: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Essential Oils in Experimental Models of Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Dark Chocolate Mitigates Premenstrual Performance Impairments and Muscle Soreness in Female CrossFitNutrients · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Concomitant dual-site tDCS and dark chocolate improve cognitive and endurance performance following cognitive effort under hypoxia: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- The Role of Polyphenols on Cognitive Function and Dementia Through Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis Modulation: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Stimulatory Effects of (+)-Epicatechin on Short- and Long-Term Memory in Aged Rats: Underlying Mechanisms.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Exploring the role of nutritional strategies to influence physiological and cognitive mechanisms in cold weather operations in military personnel.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- Article
- Article
- Neuroprotective effect of isovaleraldehyde accompanied with upregulation of BDNF and CREB phosphorylation via the PKA pathway.Journal of natural medicines · 2024Article
- Can Chocolate Be Classified as an Ultra-Processed Food? A Short Review on Processing and Health Aspects to Help Answer This Question.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant Capacity and Anti-Oxidative Stress Potential of South American FabaceaeNutrients · 2023Article
- The gut-derived metabolites as mediators of the effect of healthy nutrition on the brain.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Review
- Mental Performance and Sport: Caffeine and Co-consumed Bioactive Ingredients.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Review
- From Cocoa to Chocolate: Effect of Processing on Flavanols and Methylxanthines and Their Mechanisms of Action.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Comparative Study of the Pharmacological Properties of Luteolin and Its 7,3'-Disulfate.Marine drugs · 2022Article
- Can Nutrients and Dietary Supplements Potentially Improve Cognitive Performance Also in Esports?Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Increasing evidence support a beneficial role of cocoa and cocoa products on human cognition, particularly in aging populations and patients at risk. However, thorough reviews on the efficacy of cocoa on brain processes in young adults do not exist precisely due to the limited number of studies in the matter. Thus, the aim of this study was to summarize the findings on the acute and chronic effects of cocoa administration on cognitive functions and brain health in young adults. Web of Science and PubMed databases were used to search for relevant trials. Human randomized controlled studies were selected according to PRISMA guidelines. Eleven intervention studies that involved a total of 366 participants investigating the role of cocoa on cognitive performance in children and young adults (average age ≤ 25 years old) were finally selected. Findings from individual studies confirm that acute and chronic cocoa intake have a positive effect on several cognitive outcomes. After acute consumption, these beneficial effects seem to be accompanied with an increase in cerebral blood flow or cerebral blood oxygenation. After chronic intake of cocoa flavanols in young adults, a better cognitive performance was found together with increased levels of neurotrophins. This systematic review further supports the beneficial effect of cocoa flavanols on cognitive function and neuroplasticity and indicates that such benefits are possible in early adulthood.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.