Chocolate is healthy, right?
As you might be gathering from some of the articles on this site, it’s not so cut and dry. This article will look at how chocolate, or some of its ingredients, got its reputation as being healthy and how some of the fantastic research can be misleading.
As if I didn’t alienate myself with the article about alcohol. Let’s begin our journey by looking into how we got here.
The Mayans presented what we now know as a “hot chocolate” to Emperor Moctezuma II as the “Food of the Gods” by the Aztecs.[1] In fact, the Latin name for chocolate, Theobroma cacao L., means precisely that.
Ever since the seventh century, the medicinal qualities of cocoa and chocolate have been of benefit to help with angina and heart pain.[2] It’s only in the modern-day that scientists have identified multiple potential health benefits for chocolate.
Scientists have isolated bioactive chemicals in cocoa and chocolate called plant phenols or polyphenols that create these benefits.
If you’ve read my article on using food to unlock your genetics, you’ll know that I’m a fan of bioactives. The best way to think about bioactives is as non-nutritive compounds found in foods that interact with various components in the body with a wide range of benefits.[3]
These bioactive compounds present the best evidence for eating a diverse selection of fruits and vegetables.[4] This diversity means you’re not just getting the vitamins and minerals that pay for your body’s transactions. You’re also getting bonus compounds that interact with your genes and profoundly benefit your health.
In the case of chocolate, the main bioactive compounds that have everyone excited are the polyphenols. You will have encountered the polyphenols if you’ve ever eaten cocoa nibs or tried cocoa beans. The high concentration of polyphenols gives unprocessed cocoa the extremely, almost inedible bitterness.
This taste profile explains why dark chocolate has a remarkably different flavour from milk chocolate.
The milk chocolate often has diminished bitterness to appeal to a broader palate. As a side note, this move to appeal to a more expansive palate is the definition of processed food. To express the effect of the processing in numbers, polyphenol content might decrease from one hundred per cent to ten per cent throughout the different manufacturing procedures.[5]
These numbers are the first place we need to be careful when reading articles that don’t differentiate between the types of chocolate they refer to when expounding its health benefits.
You’re forgiven for thinking that the chocolate wrapping up that delectable caramel and peanuts in that Snickers bar will stop you from getting heart disease. Unfortunately, it’s not the case. But we’ll get to that later. Let’s get back to the cocoa polyphenols.
Cocoa phenolics are bioactive compounds benefiting metabolism, inflammation and the cardiovascular system.[6]
It’s thought that cocoa phenolics’ ability to protect the body from rust caused by oxygen (a process known as oxidation) is the key to these effects.
If you’re new to oxidation and why antioxidant capacity is necessary, just think of oxidation as a form of rust that occurs when cells of the body interact with oxygen. Oxidation makes a significant contribution to the ageing process.[7]
Cocoa has higher amounts of phenols and higher antioxidant capacity than green tea, black tea, or red wine.[8]
A study that compared cocoa to these showed that cocoa has an antioxidant capacity twice that of red wine, two to three times that of green tea (surprising!) and four to five times the antioxidant capacity of black tea.[9]
Interestingly the power to protect the DNA from oxidative stress seems temporary. A study of how dark chocolate and white chocolate affected total blood antioxidant activity found some interesting results. Whilst they could see a measurable improvement in DNA protection post-consumption, the benefits seemed to be no longer evident after 22 hours.[10]
Diet affects the microbiome with the same type of transience. It takes just 24 hours to change the microbiome positively, but if the positive dietary changes revert to normal, it adjusts back in kind.[11]
You didn’t come here to learn about that, though; let’s get back to chocolate.
Cocoa polyphenols can influence one of the critical genes involved in inflammation.
Introducing NF-Kß, This name describes a group of what’s called transcription factors that influence inflammation and the immune response. They also play a role in stopping cells from dying when under stress.[12]
Put simply. This group plays a huge role in managing the immune and inflammatory response to benefit you. Unfortunately, it can become over-activated and the genesis of numerous diseases from diabetes, cancer and other inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.[13]
Cocoa polyphenols can reduce the damaging effects of NF-Kß, essentially having a deep anti-inflammatory action. An action associated with many chronic diseases we are looking to prevent in the modern-day.
This effect is significant because you can get polyphenols from other sources aside from dark chocolate, and I’ll discuss how to harness these later in this article.
That’s not all; cocoa phenols from dark chocolate improve cognition in both younger and older adults.[14]
Neuroinflammation or inflammation within the brain connects with late-onset cognitive decline.[15]
The cocoa polyphenols’ effect on inflammation drew attention to its potential in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. On further investigation, it seemed they did a lot more than that.
A fundamental way to improve brain function, no matter your age, is to increase cerebral blood flow. Increased cerebral blood flow keeps a consistent supply of oxygen and glucose in the brain. There are various studies using brain imaging linking cerebral brain function and improved cognitive function.[16]
Either active or passive, exercise improves cerebral blood flow to the brain. Just as a side note.[17]
But guess what else improves cerebral blood flow? Yep, you guessed it, cocoa polyphenols.[18] A study that defines how this translates found that polyphenols from cocoa improved motivation and attentiveness in the tasks tested.[19]
Furthermore, cocoa polyphenols improved sustained mental demand compared to a control group. I like this study even though the control group was small, as we often see with these nutritionally oriented studies.
Participants performed a task where they had to count backwards in threes from a particular number. The polyphenols group reported reduced self-rated mental fatigue, leading to better sustained mental resilience.[20]
All these benefits from just improving the amount of blood into the brain; wait, there’s more, polyphenols, dark chocolate and cortisol?
Yep, you read it correctly. Once again, this was a small study from 2019. However, participants using a high polyphenol dark chocolate saw their total cortisol and morning cortisol reduced over four weeks.[21]
I couldn’t find more studies around this, so it might have to be a watch this space on dark chocolate and cortisol levels. Still, another interaction cocoa polyphenols have with the brain is more comprehensively researched. Improved mood.
Or does it? It seems any of dark chocolate’s positive effects on mood might be indirect.
Why? Well, eating chocolate is pleasurable and often emotionally comforting. A study asked subjects to listen to music meant to make them happy or sad.
Low and behold, the chocolate intake was increased when listening to sad music. I find the title of this study quite funny as it starts with “depression” increases “craving” for sweet rewards.[22] Maybe it’s just my sense of humour?
But really, it seems that more than anything eating chocolate is as euphoric as it feels, and that’s where it’s at currently. Eating chocolate releases endorphins managed by the opioid system in the brain.
From my point of view, in this case, I would like to point to the fact that neuroinflammation is heavily correlated with low mood.[23] A role then for the cocoa polyphenols that assist in calming this inflammation may be an exciting watch this space.
It’s fair to say that the polyphenols are the star of the show when it comes to dark chocolate, but what about its nutritional value.
Cocoa’s nutrient profile is comprehensive and worth investigating when it comes to its benefits.
A well-known fact is the mineral profile of chocolate is tailor-made for the function of veins and arteries of the cardiovascular system. Dietary sources of magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium are all implicated in reducing the risk of developing high blood pressure and a blocked heart.[24]
In the case of magnesium, there can be quite a difference in the levels between dark and milk chocolate. At around 70-85%, dark chocolate offers approximately 36mg (an egg has around 5mg) in 100kcal (around two squares). Milk chocolate has a third of this at about 11mg.[25]
A lesser-known fact about chocolate’s nutrient profile is its fibre content which for two squares of dark chocolate comes in at 1.7gms (70-85% again).[26] Once again, milk chocolate comes in at a third of this. Most of the fibre is insoluble,[27] which significantly assists with metabolic illnesses like diabetes type 2.[28]
So this research appears pretty good to me; I thought you said it could be misleading?
I said that, and it’s true for two reasons. The first is a common issue with interpreting research on bioactive ingredients within a diet. Often, the amount of the active ingredients in the studies turn out to be exponentially higher than the amounts they appear in the “real world.”
I remember this happening with resveratrol in red wine. Initially, when researchers saw some fantastic changes to fruit fly lives, red wine being good for you was plastered all over the media. Everyone would cheer for their impending good health.
Unfortunately, though, over time, as studies developed, it was found that the amount of resveratrol consumption would be beyond rational dietary means to replicate initial results seen in animals.[29] I remember it being likened to drinking a wheelbarrow of red wine a day (if I remember who said this, I’ll be sure to update the reference!).
While this isn’t wholly the case with our cocoa polyphenols, if your chocolate isn’t seventy-five to eighty per cent and above, you might not even be close to getting the levels you need.
Remember also earlier in the article; processing drastically brings the polyphenol levels down throughout the manufacturing process. So the closer you get to a Mars bar, the fewer polyphenols you are consuming.
Reconnect with the fact that the polyphenols’ effects in cocoa are also temporary. This temporary effect means consistent consumption is necessary to keep up with some of the good results discussed.
The second reason this research may be misleading is that conflicts of interest are prevalent in nutritional analysis.
Especially when a large chocolate manufacturer has something to gain from it; for example, the study I’ve referenced here[30] from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The results showed cocoa polyphenol consumption achieving important things for cardiovascular disease and cognition in elderly patients. But it also happened to be sponsored by Mars Inc., Which also supplied the powdered cocoa drinks used in the study.
Now I’ve once eaten a deep-fried Mars bar (not as uncommon as you think in Australia) and have nothing against the company, but I’ll let you decide how this might be potentially misleading.
To be consumed as part of a healthy diet.
One of the intentions of this article was to help you harness the power of cocoa polyphenols to your benefit. And the title of this section refers precisely to how to do it. Polyphenols appear in high amounts across a variety of food and drinks. For example, a concise list would include wine, green tea, red fruits, coffee, and blueberries.[31]
The good news is that you combine your consumption of these sources of polyphenols with those found in high amounts in high percentage dark chocolate and experience the majority of the benefits we’ve covered in this article.
But I’m sure it won’t trigger as many endorphins as that dark chocolate.
Hope this helps.
References
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[2] Keen CL. Chocolate: food as medicine/medicine as food. J Am Coll Nutr. 2001;20(5 Suppl):436S-442S. doi:10.1080/07315724.2001.10719181
[3] González S. Dietary Bioactive Compounds and Human Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2020;12(2):348. Published 2020 Jan 29. doi:10.3390/nu12020348
[4] Liu RH. Dietary bioactive compounds and their health implications. J Food Sci. 2013;78 Suppl 1:A18-A25. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.12101
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[6] Andújar I, Recio MC, Giner RM, Ríos JL. Cocoa polyphenols and their potential benefits for human health. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:906252. doi:10.1155/2012/906252
[7] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1999/03/health.html, viewed 14th April 2022.
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[10] Lee KW, Kim YJ, Lee HJ, Lee CY. Cocoa has more phenolic phytochemicals and a higher antioxidant capacity than teas and red wine. J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51(25):7292-7295. doi:10.1021/jf0344385
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[14] Martín MA, Goya L, de Pascual-Teresa S. Effect of Cocoa and Cocoa Products on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults. Nutrients. 2020;12(12):3691. Published 2020 Nov 30. doi:10.3390/nu12123691
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[16] Francis ST, Head K, Morris PG, Macdonald IA. The effect of flavanol-rich cocoa on the fMRI response to a cognitive task in healthy young people. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2006;47 Suppl 2:S215-S220. doi:10.1097/00005344-200606001-00018
[17] Doering TJ, Resch KL, Steuernagel B, Brix J, Schneider B, Fischer GC. Passive and active exercises increase cerebral blood flow velocity in young, healthy individuals. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1998;77(6):490-493. doi:10.1097/00002060-199811000-00006
[18] Ghosh D, Scheepens A. Vascular action of polyphenols. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2009;53(3):322-331. doi:10.1002/mnfr.200800182
[19] Nehlig A. The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013;75(3):716-727. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04378.x
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[21] Tsang C, Hodgson L, Bussu A, Farhat G, Al-Dujaili E. Effect of Polyphenol-Rich Dark Chocolate on Salivary Cortisol and Mood in Adults. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(6):149. Published 2019 May 29. doi:10.3390/antiox8060149
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[28] Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AF. Metabolic effects of dietary fiber consumption and prevention of diabetes. J Nutr. 2008;138(3):439-442. doi:10.1093/jn/138.3.439
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[30] Daniela Mastroiacovo, Catherine Kwik-Uribe, Davide Grassi, Stefano Necozione, Angelo Raffaele, Luana Pistacchio, Roberta Righetti, Raffaella Bocale, Maria Carmela Lechiara, Carmine Marini, Claudio Ferri, Giovambattista Desideri, Cocoa flavanol consumption improves cognitive function, blood pressure control, and metabolic profile in elderly subjects: the Cocoa, Cognition, and Aging (CoCoA) Study—a randomized controlled trial, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 101, Issue 3, March 2015, Pages 538–548, https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.092189
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