Eating a one-time dose of cocoa with 415 mg of flavanols won’t make you better at remembering things you just saw, no matter how much cocoa you usually eat, your weight, or whether you’re male or female.

Eating a one-time dose of cocoa with 415 mg of flavanols won’t make you better or worse at remembering visual details like shapes or colors, whether you’re just holding them in mind or actively updating them.

If you're between 50 and 69 and eat a daily dose of cocoa flavanols for three months, you might get better at remembering small differences between similar things—and your brain’s memory area might get more blood flow, helping fight off some of the memory slowdown that comes with aging.

Eating a lot of cocoa flavanols (almost half a gram) might boost blood flow to certain parts of the brain in older adults, but eating just a tiny bit (23 mg) doesn’t do anything — so more seems to make a difference.

Eating a specific amount of cocoa flavanols doesn’t change blood flow in the brain unless you’re also consuming other flavanol-rich foods — even if the chocolate tastes and looks the same and has the same calories and stimulants.

Eating cocoa with flavanols might boost blood flow to a part of your brain that helps you form memories, like when you're trying to remember names or facts.