Chocolate makes snails smarter.

    Type the word 'superfood' into a web browser and you will overwhemled: some websites even maintain that dark chocolate can have beneficial effects on people. Most people eat chocolate before a test; others when they exercise in order to have more energy and wake up. Science has been interested in the influence of eating cacao. In fact, the scientific comunity have become curious about how dietary factors might affect memory. For this, they have focused on a group of compounds- the flavinoids- found in a wide range of 'superfoods' including chocolate, and green tea. 

    A lot of factors can influence memory formation. So, it has been decided to experiment on snails with chocolate to see if this really works. Snails usually breathe through their skins, but when oxygen levels fall, they extend the breathing tube above the sruface to supplement the oxygen sypply. However, they can be trained to remember a simple activity: to keep their breathing tubes closed when immersed in water. Amazingly, after three days testing with chocolate, they were able to remember to keep their breathing tubes shut more than 3 days later. Days passed by, snails were doing the same as they were trained. Their memory had been improved, their memories were to strong to be extinguished. 

    Scientits are still testing, and experimenting to look directly at the effect that chocolate has on memory neurons and cognitive effects that half a bar of dark choclate can have. This is really a good new for chocoholics! 

    Moreover, this is also aimed to help those who have Down syndrome or any other neurodevelopmental disorder. Scientistics want to improve intelligence, memory, and concentration of this kind of people. It would be wonderful for them to eat a bar of chocolate and feel better, and smarter; obviously, not as "smarter" as ordinary people, but to be one step ahead of the disease. Is this really possible? How would it be for those with these diseases? Would the world change in a way with this little experiment?

The study is published in The Journal of Experimental Biology.