Chocolate compound could hold key to dementia treatment

A compound found in chocolate - known as epicatechin - could hold the key to delaying the onset of dementia, after studies in Central America showed the benefits of consuming five cups of cocoa a day.

Professor Norman Hollenberg, of Harvard Medical School, spent years studying the Kuna tribe and found that they rarely suffered from high blood pressure and have much lower rates of cancer, heart disease and strokes.

When he looked at their diet, he saw that they all consumed around five cups of cocoa a day, providing a high intake of epicatechin.

Following further tests, Professor Hollenberg said that he believed the chemical could prove as important to medicine as penicillin or anaesthesia for illnesses including dementia.

According to his report in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, researchers believe the compound works by relaxing blood vessels and improving circulation - a key benefit for dementia sufferers' brains.

Though most of the naturally-occurring epicatechin is removed in the processing of cocoa beans, scientists claim that the compound could be extracted and produced separately in future, if testing proves to be effective.

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