Q. I recently read an article about a physician who is advising people on strategies to avoid developing Alzheimer’s disease. Besides cutting sugar and carbs, he advises eating berries and drinking cocoa. The doctor puts CocoaVia in his own daily coffee.
Dark unsweetened CocoaVia turns my black decaf coffee into a very pleasant tasting mocha hot drink and only adds 30 calories. Have you any information about this product, side effects and results?
A. We checked a report from ConsumerLab.com on cocoa powders and extracts. CocoaVia from Mars Symbioscience scored very highly on tests of purity and flavanol concentration. Cocoa flavanols are the antioxidant compounds responsible for lowering blood pressure, preventing blood clots and increasing good HDL cholesterol.
Cocoa Compounds against Alzheimer’s Disease
Preliminary research indicates that cocoa extracts may help prevent the buildup of beta-amyloid compounds that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Vol. 41, issue 2, 2014).
A recent study underwritten by Mars showed that 900 mg of cocoa flavanols daily (quite a bit more than the 250 mg in a packet of CocoaVia) improved cognitive function in volunteers between 50 and 69 years old (Nature Neuroscience, online Oct. 26, 2014).
Other fruits and berries also contain such compounds. We can think of no adverse effects from putting cocoa in your coffee.
