Dark Chocolate Can Boost Alertness

Dark chocolate may be better than downing a five hour energy drink if you want to stay alert suggests a new study out of Northern Arizona University.

Larry Stevens, a professor of psychological sciences, says it's already been shown that chocolate acts as a stimulant but his study goes further as his team learned that it also boosts attention in the brain while altering blood pressure levels.

In the research, 100 participants between the ages of 18 and 25 were divided into five control groups and one other group that ate 60 percent cacao chocolate.

Afterwards, the dark chocolate eaters proved to be more alert and attentive, a discovery that Stevens says will hopefully lead to chocolate makers developing a bar with high cacao content and Ltheanine, which is used to reduce stress and improve cognition.

Dark chocolate might also be good for people with hypertension in helping to lower blood pressure levels.