Dark chocolate 'can reduce risk of brain damage after stroke'

Dark chocolate can reduce brain damage following a stroke, a study suggests.Scientists have discovered that a compound called epicatechin, commonly found in dark chocolate, protects the brain against strokes by shielding nerve cells.They based their findings on tests in mice and hope the effects can be replicated in humans.The U.S. researchers gave the mice a dose of epicatechin - a flavanol - and then 90 minutes later induced a stroke in the animals by cutting off the blood supply to their brains.They found that the mice that had taken the epicatechin had 'significantly less' brain damage than those that had not.The researchers, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, also discovered that epicatechin had a protective effect when given to mice after they had a stroke.

Researchers from America's Johns Hopkins University say the findings could be important in the possible treatment of strokes.In fact, it was a better treatment than current drugs given to human stroke victims. Associate Professor Sylvain Doré said: 'Animals that had preventively ingested the epicatechin suffered significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound.'While most treatments against stroke in humans have to be given within a two- to three-hour time window to be effective, epicatechin appaeared to limit further neuronal damage when given to mice 3.5 hours after a stroke. 
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