Can Dark Chocolate Improve Vision?

Can chocolate improve vision? According to a small study published in the Ophthalmology edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the answer may be yes!  In a study of young adults, vision was measured two hours after eating either dark chocolate or milk chocolate. After eating the dark chocolate, small letter contrast resolution was improved compared to after eating milk chocolate. For large letter contrast resolution the results were not statistically significant, but still appeared to suggest a benefit with the dark chocolate.The researchers proposed that the high level of cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate may have contributed to the improved vision by improving blood flow in the retina or possibly the brain. Milk chocolate has significantly lower levels of cocoa flavanols and was less likely to improve blood flow. In my opinion this study is not conclusive and had methodological flaws, but it is interesting!

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