Is Eating Chocolate Before an Exam Cheating?

tidbits that tantalize

The Gooey

Decimal System...

Harvard Law School. Wow. This was going to be your ticket. You worked for years to get here, sacrificed everything and, until yesterday, it all seemed to be well worth it. Then, in a moment of shear lunacy, you threw it all away. All for a measly leg up on an Environmental Law final - a final you spent so much time cramming for you could have aced it with your eyes closed.

But, apparently, the detectors are every bit as good as the rumors suggested. You'd never seen so many flashing lights, heard so many sirens, saw so many astonished faces staring in your direction. Now, here you sit. Waiting for the dean, facing academic suspension for possession of a controlled substance. Your career is over and you haven't even graduated yet.

All this over a secreted chocolate bar stashed in your backpack...

Scientists in Britain have found that a specially formulated cocoa increases the flow of blood to the brain. Does this mean chocolate makes people smarter? Actually, the research failed to demonstrate a direct link between the increase in blood flow and better performance on exams. Nonetheless, the findings are of significant interest to stroke victims and chocoholics worldwide.

While the chocolate may not unleash a new generation of geniuses, those suffering from strokes and vascular disease may find some benefit. The ability of the cocoa to increase the flow of blood may also eventually benefit individuals suffering from cognitive impairments and fatigue.

CocoaVia(r), a proprietary cocoa mixture developed by Mars, Inc., retains the flavanols that are found in cocoa beans. The flavanols, like those found in red wines and green teas, have previously been shown to be beneficial to cardiovascular health.

...As you ponder your fate, you wonder if future legal scholars will be the subjects of chocolate doping scandals? Then, snapping out of your malaise, you focus on the task at hand. The dean, the disciplinary board, the evidence... You slowly reach down and inch a chocolate bar out of your socks. After all, this is going to get tense and you want to be at your best...

To read more about the study, see this from Reuter's Health.