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 raisingcerebral blood flow to the hippocampus. In a 2023 trial, 500milligrams of cocoa flavanols a day improved memory in older adultswho ate few flavanols to begin with. The catch: those flavanolssurvive only in minimally processed, high-cacao chocolate. Here isthe mechanism, what the research shows, and how to choose a bar thatstill 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 claimfor cocoa flavanols set a daily target of 200 milligrams. Translatedinto chocolate, the answer depends almost entirely on how the cocoawas processed: 1 to 2 ounces of premium non-alkalized dark chocolategets you there from food alone; heavily Dutch-processed bars cannot.
