date:Apr 17, 2013
The new research confirms the antioxidant properties of polyphenols, the larger class of compounds that includes flavanols, and establishes how they work to protect the brain on a cellular level.
Researchers led by Annamaria Cimini of the University of L'Aquila in Italy created cellular models of Alzheimer's disease, treated with the A plaques and A peptides associated with neurodegeneration. Applying cocoa polyphenols to those cells triggered the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor