You may forgo the guilt the next time you gorge on dark chocolate, for a new study has claimed that it could reduce the risk of brain damage from a stroke. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have discovered that a compound called epicatechin, commonly found in dark chocolate, actually protects the brain against strokes by shielding nerve cells.
They based their findings on tests in mice and hope the effects can be replicated in humans.
In their experiment, the scientists gave the mice a dose of epicatechin and then induced a stroke in rodents by cutting of blood supply to the animals' brains.
The findings revealed that the animals that had taken the epicatechin had significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound.
And in positive news for eventual human trials, the scientists found epicatechin was a better treatment for stroke than current methods, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
According to the scientists, the findings could be important in the possible treatment of strokes.
"Animals that had preventively ingested the epicatechin suffered significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound.
"While most treatments against stroke in humans have to be given within a two- to three-hour time window to be effective, epicatechin appeared to limit further neuronal damage when given to mice 3.5 hours after a stroke.
"Given six hours after a stroke, however, the compound offered no protection to brain cells," Professor Sylvain Doré was quoted as saying.
Prof Dore said the findings, published in the 'Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism' could be a step forward in the understanding of strokes.
"I hope this research into these pathways could lead to insights into limiting acute stroke damage and possibly protecting against chronic neurological degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive disorders," he said.
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