New Delhi, Nov 1 (NationPress) Are you facing challenges with memory and stress? Indulging in some dark chocolate or enjoying a handful of berries might be beneficial for enhancing your memory capabilities and alleviating stress, as suggested by a recent animal study.

The increase in memory and cognitive abilities could be attributed to flavanols, which are plentiful in cocoa and berries, according to researchers from the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan.

This study, featured in the journal Current Research in Food Science, illustrated that the consumption of flavanols can trigger extensive physiological responses akin to those brought about by physical exercise -- acting as a moderate stressor that stimulates the central nervous system, thereby boosting attention, arousal, and memory. Flavanols also play a protective role against neuronal damage.

Dr. Yasuyuki Fujii from the Shibaura Institute remarked, “The stress responses produced by flavanols in this research are reminiscent of those triggered by physical activity. Therefore, a moderate intake of flavanols, despite their limited bioavailability, can enhance overall health and life quality.”

The team examined the impact of flavanols on the nervous system through sensory stimulation, hypothesizing that the astringent taste -- a sensation that is dry, puckering, rough, or sandpapery in the mouth -- of flavanols might serve as a direct signal to the brain.

In their experiments involving 10-week-old mice, the researchers administered flavanols orally at doses of 25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg body weight, while the control group received only distilled water.

Behavioral assessments indicated that flavanol-fed mice displayed increased motor activity, exploratory behavior, and enhanced learning and memory when compared to the control group.

Flavanols improved neurotransmitter activity across various brain regions. Levels of dopamine and its precursor levodopa, norepinephrine, and its metabolite normetanephrine surged in the brain immediately post-administration.

These substances are crucial for regulating motivation, attention, stress response, and arousal.

Additionally, enzymes essential for noradrenaline production (tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase) and transport (vesicular monoamine transporter 2) were upregulated, thereby enhancing the signaling capacity of the noradrenergic system.

Biochemical analyses also showed elevated urinary levels of catecholamines -- hormones released during stress -- alongside increased activity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a brain area vital for stress management.