Coffee and cocoa? It’s a decadent combo that works

As perfect pairings go in the beverage world, there is one combination that can’t really be disputed: the heavenly blend of coffee and cocoa. Who doesn’t like the rich, creamy flavour of cocoa in their coffee? Even diehard coffee drinkers can’t resist this delightful pairing.

Now, science is proving this combination is one that’s indeed a marriage made in heaven — and works well for our bodies, too.

A researcher from Clarkson University in the US teamed up with his colleagues from the University of Georgia to study the acute effects of caffeinated and non-caffeinated cocoa consumption on attention and motivation to perform cognitive tasks, while also exploring the effects on mood, anxiety and fatigue.

In a randomised double-blind trial which lasted for a year, participants drank brewed cocoa, cocoa with caffeine, caffeine only and a placebo which was flavoured and consisted of coloured, brewed water.

Now, science is proving this combination is one that's indeed a marriage made in heaven — and works well for our bodies, too.

A 26-minute battery was used to assess motivation to perform cognitive tasks, mood and attention, for which participants were required to do subtractions and point out to odd numbers sequentially. They were also asked to watch letters flash across an screen and point out when an X appeared after an A. This was done before and three times after beverage consumption, with a 10-minute break between each post-consumption battery. This procedure was repeated for each beverage and each participant at least 48 hours apart and ±30 minutes the same time of the day.

The results of the study were very promising for this dark blend of brews.

Cocoa by itself increases cerebral blood flow, which increases cognition and attention, but has little effect on motivation to perform cognitive tasks or mood states such as feelings of energy and fatigue. Caffeine by itself increases anxiety.

What this study found is that, when combined together, cocoa lessens the anxiety-producing effect of caffeine while the caffeine in caffeinated cocoa increases accuracy and reduces omission errors compared to cocoa alone.

Now, who are we to dispute that?

Coffee and cocoa are a great combination for anyone who needs sustain attention and a great reason to indulge in those delicious mocha lattes. Not that you need a reason at all…

Source: BMC Nutrition