Chocolate + Sports = Better memory

The flavanol epicatechin, which is found in grapes, bluberries, tea and cocoa, was found to improve memory in mice. Mice that also exercised showed significantly more substantial memory gains. The combination of epicatechin and exercise led to changes in the structure of the dentate gyrus, one of only two areas of the brain that creates new neurons.

This research, published today in the The Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that combining healthy activities (exercise, diet, cognitive exercise, stress reduction, etc) results in the greatest gains in cognitive ability such as memory.