 ScienceDaily (May 5, 2010) — “Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that a compound in dark chocolate may protect the brain after a stroke by increasing cellular signals already known to shield nerve cells from damage”. (Credit: iStockphoto/Lasse Kristensen)

 A naturally occurring substance called “epicatechin” is present in dark chocolate.  The substance is meant to reduce cardiovascular disesase.

 Mice were fed with single modest dose of epicatechin  After ninety minutes a stroke was induced to the mice that cut off the blood supply to the brain.

The animals that had preventively ingested the epicatechin suffered significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound.

 Sylvain Doré, Ph.D, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says he hopes his research into these findings 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.

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