Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels
Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels
Dark Chocolate and Brain Function: The Flavanol Link
by Mo Mandegar, PhD
on Jun 22 2026
Cocoa flavanols connect dark chocolate to brain function by raising cerebral blood flow to the hippocampus. In a 2023 trial, 500 milligrams of cocoa flavanols a day improved memory in older adults who ate few flavanols to begin with. The catch: those flavanols survive only in minimally processed, high-cacao chocolate. Here is the mechanism, what the research shows, and how to choose a bar that still has flavanols left in it.
Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels
How Much Dark Chocolate Do You Need for Flavanols?
by Mo Mandegar, PhD
on May 11 2026
The 2023 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) qualified health claim for cocoa flavanols set a daily target of 200 milligrams. Translated into chocolate, the answer depends almost entirely on how the cocoa was processed: 1 to 2 ounces of premium non-alkalized dark chocolate gets you there from food alone; heavily Dutch-processed bars cannot.
