Compounds in dark chocolate can boost your heart, brain and metabolic health
06/24/2020 / By Skye Anderson / Comments
Compounds in dark chocolate can boost your heart, brain and metabolic health

A lot of the foods people enjoy eating — like burgers and potato chips — are actually labeled unhealthy. Unfortunately, it’s the rich, creamy, tasty and often-fried stuff everyone finds convenient to eat that have the most devastating effects on human health. But there’s one food — a sweet treat, in fact — considered by many as a guilty pleasure that’s actually quite alright to indulge in: chocolate. Not the highly processed milk or white chocolate varieties, though — but the rich, slightly bitter dark chocolate that’s made of at least 70 percent pure, flavanol-rich cocoa.

You’ve probably seen dark chocolate being singled out as the only superfood among all chocolate varieties, and there’s a good reason for that. Dark chocolate is 50 to 90 percent cocoa solids, and it is cocoa that contains all the flavanols responsible for chocolate’s health benefits. According to studies, cocoa flavanols support heart health by lowering blood pressure. They have also been credited with reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

In a study of Kuna Indians, an isolated tribe in Panama whose members consume more than five cups of cocoa powder daily, researchers found that these island-dwellers have lower rates of death due to cancer, diabetes and heart disease than city dwellers. Interestingly, despite their high salt intake, hypertension is an uncommon condition among Kuna Indians. The researchers attribute these benefits to the health-promoting properties of flavanol-rich cocoa.

In a more recent study, a team of Australian and Greek researchers looked at the protective effects of dark chocolate against metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. The researchers reported that an increase in dark chocolate intake resulted in lesser odds of developing MetS. However, stress and anxiety levels seemed to exert an influence on dark chocolate’s favorable benefits.

The researchers discussed their findings in a paper published in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism.

Dark chocolate, metabolic health and anxiety levels

According to previous studies, regular consumption of dark chocolate reduces markers of cardiometabolic risk. However, this positive effect depends heavily on a person’s stress and anxiety levels. Chronic stress has long been established as a factor that leads to unfavorable metabolic profiles in unhealthy individuals.

To better understand these associations, the researchers recruited 1,514 men and 1,528 women without heart disease for their study. They evaluated the participants’ dark chocolate intake using food frequency questionnaires and assessed their anxiety levels using the Spielberg Anxiety Questionnaire. They then conducted a 10-year follow-up on 2,583 participants (75 percent of the sample population) to collect relevant data.

The researchers found that participants with MetS had higher levels of anxiety than those who were free of the condition. Among the latter, they observed that for every 25 mg increase in the daily dark chocolate, the participants’ risk of MetS decreased by five percent. This inverse relationship held true even after the researchers adjusted for gender, age and physical activity levels.

These findings led the researchers to believe that daily dark chocolate consumption benefits individuals with low stress and anxiety levels. Specifically, flavanol-rich dark chocolate helps reduce their risk of MetS, which consequently also decreases the likelihood of them developing heart disease and diabetes.

Great reasons to indulge your (dark) chocolate cravings

The first people to discover and enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate were the Maya, who, centuries ago, consumed dark chocolate as a bitter fermented drink that was either mixed with wine or various spices. The Spanish brought chocolate to Europe in the 16th century, where it first became a natural medicine and was eventually developed into what it is today.

Research suggests that dark chocolate is packed with nutrients and antioxidants, which contribute to its amazing health benefits. These antioxidants are also believed to play a role in cancer prevention, heart health and weight loss. Theobromine, a well-known compound found in dark chocolate, has been found to help reduce inflammation as well as blood pressure.

Here are the other remarkable benefits offered by dark chocolate:

  • Improves nitric oxide levels
  • Lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke
  • Improves blood flow to the brain
  • Boosts brain function
  • Improves mood and depression symptoms
  • Reduces the risk of diabetes
  • Helps with weight management
  • Helps protect against cancer
  • Reduces inflammation
  • May help treat asthma
  • Has antibacterial and immune-stimulating properties

While different varieties of chocolate are all made from cocoa, only dark chocolate is beneficial to your health. This is because white and milk chocolate are highly processed, and too much processing and heating causes cocoa to lose its health-promoting properties.

To enjoy the full benefits of dark chocolate, treat yourself to this superfood every day, but limit it to moderate amounts. Dark chocolate still contains fats and calories, so binging on it can cause undesirable consequences, such as weight gain.

You should also be mindful of commercial products, as different manufacturers process chocolate differently. To avoid consuming harmful additives or traces of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with your chocolate, always check labels and ingredients list and always opt for organic products.

Sources:

HSPH.Harvard.edu

MayoClinic.org

ScienceDirect.com

Healthline.com

EverydayHealth.com

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