the healthy brain food is chocolate

Question

It’s rare to come across food that boosts brain function and is considered a pleasurable reward when you give yourself permission to eat it. But this is the exception that proves the rule, because in this case the healthy brain food is chocolate.

Not surprisingly, chocolate ranks as the most popular sweet treat in the world. Chocolate comes from cocoa beans, and people eat more than three million tons of them every year. From its humble beginnings with the Olmecs tribes of Mexico to its status as an upper class extravagance (and even, briefly, a currency), chocolate is something everyone can agree on. It’s that good.

It may also improve brain function. Studies over the years have shown that chocolate can help people maintain strong cognitive function deeper into life. It’s about as surprising as learning red wine and cheese might protect your cognitive functioning, too. 

Comments

Your explanation could use a little more summary of the article as you merely restate your claim with no evidence as to how you can prove it. Maybe link to a specific study that uses scientific evidence to prove your claim or draw your conclusions from the study. Maybe it is simply eating the chocolate that makes you happier, leading to healthy mental health and therefor long-term health.

Answer 1

I would classify this article as misleading because of the title and the follow through and explanation. The state that there could be a correlation of chocolate consumption and brain function. In article many times the evidence they use isn't firm. Using sentences like, "It [chocolate] may also improve brain function," doesn't give me the confidence as a reader to affirm their speculation of if chocolate improves brain function. The study from the University of Illinois they cite for study is not even about chocolate. They explored cocoa flavanols, which is one compound found in cocoa beans. Where they state "cocoa flavanols boost brain oxygenation, cognition in healthy adults," which is specific to the compound and who the recipient of the cocoa flavanols are, in this case health adults. Not just chocolate for anyone as the original article suggests. 

https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/158868307

https://www.betteraging.com/nutrition/is-there-a-connection-between-chocolate-and-better-brain-function/

Answer 2

This Better Aging article claims chocolate is healthy brain food... are they correct? The article cites studies showing that dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more) can enhance cognitive function, memory, and mood. Cocoa flavanols also seem to improve vascular function and may enhance mental abilities, supported by research from reputable institutions. While chocolate is presented as both a treat and healthy, not all chocolate products have the same benefits; many are high in sugar and unhealthy fats. Calling chocolate a "superfood" may oversimplify its health benefits without context. While some research supports dark chocolate's cognitive benefits, calling it a "healthy brain food" can be misleading and some might even suggest exaggerating. The emphasis on chocolate as a pleasurable treat that can enhance brain function oversimplifies the complexities of a balanced diet. 

https://www.betteraging.com/nutrition/is-there-a-connection-between-chocolate-and-better-brain-function/

Answer 3

The claim that healthy brain food is chocolate fails to provide relevant information. The article begins with the story of where chocolate comes from being in Olmec Tribes of Mexico, History of Chocolate: Cocoa Beans & Xocolatl | HISTORY does prove this to be true however that information is not relevant to the main claim. The article goes on to state that in recent studies red wine and cheese may also help with cognitive function, this completely diverts from the main claim of that being chocolate. While the article provides examples of studies from Loma Linda University in California, as well University of Illinois it does not provide at all enough information on how chocolate may improve brain function, all it does it press on the word "may" which is irrelevant to the main claim being that chocolate is the healthy brain food. Therefore, the main claim is highly exaggerated and provides not enough relevant research.

Answer 4

The claim that chocolate makes your brain function better is an exaggeration. While it's true that the flavanols in cacao boost brain oxygenation and improve problem solving skills, the article makes it sound like all chocolate does this. Only chocolate high in cacao like dark chocolate has any real measurable effect on brain activity. The article does mention of this in one sentence near the end, but it doesn't make it clear enough that common brands of chocolate won't help your problem solving skills.

https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/158868307