Chocolate and hot cocoa can make you a wizard with arithmetic. Did I just hear a gasp from chocolate lovers?

Yes, my sinful friends and fellow men and women; research has found that mental arithmetic and math can become a piece of cake with the help of flavanols, a compound found in cocoa and chocolate.

Apparently study has found that chocolate, well known as a mood elevator/booster, can also help you perform challenging mental tasks better.

The flavanols found in chocolate and cocoa, are a part of a group of chemicals called polyphenols that work by increasing the flow of blood into the brain. This also leads to feeling less tired or sleepy when performing some mental heavy-lifting.

For the study 30 volunteers were asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer. The findings show that they could do the calculations more quickly and more accurately after they had been given a chocolate drink.

Researchers at the brain performance and nutrition research centre at Northumbria University are now of the opinion that people should ensure that they have lots of flavanols, found naturally in fruit and vegetables, on a regular basis.

Fruits and vegetables that are high in polyphenols are claimed to be good for the bin the long run as it keeps the blood flow up and keeps the brain young and fit!

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk

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