A doctor has shared that a popular snack which is often considered unhealthy, might actually boost your brain and be a big help during study sessions. Dr Neena Chandrasekaran, a pulmonary and critical care specialist, took to TikTok under the handle @neenziemd to break it down. The reason? This beloved treat contains three powerful ingredients known to enhance brain function.

She explained: ” “A new study released now shows that when you’re studying and you need to retain information, eating chocolate can actually help with this. Chocolate contains flavonoids, caffeine and theobromine – all of these are compounds that can increase blood flow to the brain, boost alertness and create new memories. When put together in chocolate, this can be a good recipe to use when having intense study sessions. The formation of memories can occur to help with what you’re studying stay retained within your brain.”

In further research, the doctor explained “higher test scores” have been “associated with moderate chocolate consumption”. Again, this all comes down to the increase of “blood flow and new memory formation.”

Despite hailing the snack as one to try, she concluded by issuing a warning saying: “This is not a magic solution. However it’s cool information you can try on your next test when you are studying.”

According to a study, published in Loma Linda, “findings from two studies” show that “consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity. While it is well known that cacao is a major source of flavonoids, this is the first time the effect has been studied in human subjects to determine how it can support cognitive, endocrine and cardiovascular health.”

Lee S. Berk, DrPH, associate dean of research affairs, School of Allied Health Professions and a researcher in psychoneuroimmunology and food science from Loma Linda University, served as principal investigator on both studies. They said: “For years, we have looked at the influence of dark chocolate on neurological functions from the standpoint of sugar content – the more sugar, the happier we are.

“This is the first time that we have looked at the impact of large amounts of cacao in doses as small as a regular-sized chocolate bar in humans over short or long periods of time, and are encouraged by the findings. These studies show us that the higher the concentration of cacao, the more positive the impact on cognition, memory, mood, immunity and other beneficial effects.”