Named the Taste That Awakens the Brain and Improves Concentration

Japanese scientists have made a sensational discovery: the astringent taste of cocoa and berries directly improves memory by stimulating the brain. The results of the study were published in the authoritative scientific journal Current Research in Food Science (CRFS).

Flavanols - natural compounds found in cocoa, tea, red wine and certain berries - have long attracted scientists' attention for their ability to improve cognitive functions. However, a question remained open for a long time: how do they affect the body if only a negligible amount of them enters the bloodstream?

Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology proposed a revolutionary hypothesis: the astringent sensation in the mouth itself might play a key role — that characteristic "dry" effect we experience when consuming dark chocolate or strong tea.

"We hypothesized that this taste itself serves as a stimulus, directly transmitting a signal to the central nervous system," explained study co-author Yasuyuki Fujii.

During experiments on mice, scientists discovered remarkable results. Rodents that received a flavanol solution demonstrated significantly higher activity: they moved more intensively, explored territory, and showed signs of increased wakefulness.

In a novel object recognition test, mice that received flavanols spent more time investigating unfamiliar objects - a sign of better memory and learning.

At the same time, the level of catecholamines - hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline associated with the "fight or flight" response - increased in the animals' bodies. This indicated a mild activation of the sympathetic nervous system — a state of moderate stress that improves concentration and attention.

Brain analysis confirmed: half an hour after taking flavanols, the area responsible for stress response was activated, and in the brain stem - in the locus coeruleus - the level of noradrenaline, the main mediator of wakefulness, increased. Simultaneously, the production of enzymes necessary for its synthesis increased.

All these data show that the astringent sensation acts as a "beneficial stress," similar to physical exercise: it activates neurons, increases attention, and contributes to better memorization.

"The reaction caused by flavanols is similar to what occurs during sports. Moderate exposure to such compounds can improve quality of life," noted Fujii.

The study has so far been conducted on mice, and scientists plan to test whether the same mechanism works in humans. If the hypothesis is confirmed, in the future it will be possible to create products that improve brain function not through the absorption of substances, but through taste sensations.