Study Shows – Gut Microbes Makes Dark Chocolate Healthy

Learn on why dark chocolates are good for our health. Check out the article we found over at Mercola.com.

By Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com

A considerable number of studies are in agreement that dark chocolate has pronounced health benefits—provided you eat it in moderation (one to two ounces is recommended by some researchers).

The same cannot be said for milk chocolate, however. There’s a big difference between your average chocolate bar and what could be referred to as “therapeutic” chocolate. To understand this better, here are some definitions:

• Cacao: Refers to the plant Theobroma cacao, cultivated for its seeds, known as cacao beans or cocoa beans.

Cacao is naturally high in antioxidants and other natural compounds that are beneficial for cardiovascular health and weight management. In all, about 40 distinct health benefits have been linked to dark chocolate

• Cocoa: Refers to the powder made from roasted, husked, and ground cacao seeds, from which most of the fat has been removed
• Cocoa butter: The fat component of the cacao seed
• Chocolate: The solid food or candy made from a preparation of cacao seeds (typically roasted). If the cacao seeds are not roasted, then you have “raw chocolate,” which is also typically sweetened. Generally speaking, the darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidant content. Milk chocolate has few if any health benefits, as it contains limited amounts of cacao.

Knowing the meaning of these terms is important, because if you think you’re improving your health by eating typical milk chocolate candies, you’re fooling yourself.

Cocoa and cacao is typically quite bitter, and rarely fancied by self-proclaimed chocolate lovers, who are really craving the sugar added to most chocolate bars and candy.

That said, certain types of dark chocolate, as well as raw cocoa powder and cacao, are powerful superfoods, ranking among the most anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods known to mankind.

Interestingly, recent research has shed new light on the mechanism that makes cocoa powder (and dark chocolate) so beneficial for your heart and blood vessels. These benefits, it turns out, are largely dependent on the action of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Gut Microbes Unlock Dark Chocolate’s Anti-Inflammatory Powers

Research presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) claims to have unraveled the precise reason why dark chocolate is so beneficial.

While it’s known that cocoa powder is rich in potent antioxidants called polyphenols, it was thought that these molecules were poorly digested and absorbed due to their large size.

Researchers have now discovered that certain bacteria in your gut actually break down and ferment the components in dark chocolate, turning them into absorbable anti-inflammatory compounds that benefit your health.

In particular, beneficial microbes including Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria like to “feast” on cocoa, according to the researchers. The microbes also break down the fiber found in cocoa powder, turning it into highly absorbable short fatty acid chains that promote satiety.

The study, which involved three cocoa powders tested in a model digestive tract, may help explain why chocolate has been found to be so good for your heart, as the anti-inflammatory compounds may reduce inflammation of cardiovascular tissue. The study’s lead author explained:

“[W]e found that the fiber is fermented and the large polyphenolic polymers are metabolized to smaller molecules, which are more easily absorbed.

These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity… When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke.”

Previous research has also shown that eating dark chocolate may help promote gut health by selectively feeding beneficial bacteria, as opposed to harmful ones. It essentially acts as a probiotic, thereby promoting a healthier gut microbiome.

Other Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Besides antioxidants, chocolate also contains other potent plant compounds, including anandamide, named after the Sanskrit word for “bliss,” which is a neurotransmitter in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and anxiety.

Caffeine and theobromine in chocolate have been shown to produce higher levels of physical energy and mental alertness, and there are likely many more healthy chocolate compounds that have yet to be discovered.

Determining Quality Can Be Tricky…

According to Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, which performs independent tests on health products, a recent investigation revealed there’s a wide range of quality when it comes to chocolate, and rarely can you tell quality by the label alone. Some brands tested did indeed have high levels of antioxidants, but others did not. Some brands had three times the concentration of flavanols compared to others, and one chocolate bar marked 85 percent flavanols actually contained less of the antioxidant than a bar labeled 72 percent.

As reported by Times, this kind of discrepancy is due to the fact that “the percentage is a sum of cocoa liquor, cocoa powder and cocoa butter—and cocoa butter does not contain flavanols.” The labels of some brands, however, were very accurate, including Ghirardelli and Endangered Species. Interestingly, Consumer Labs also found that dark chocolate bars may be a safer choice over raw cacao powder, as many of the latter were found to be contaminated with heavy metals.

That said, the closer your cocoa is to its natural raw state, the higher its nutritional value. To avoid contamination issues, I recommend looking for fair traded organic varieties. Ideally, your chocolate or cocoa should also be consumed raw (cacao). When selecting a chocolate bar, you can optimize its nutritional value by looking for higher cacao and lower sugar content.

Next Article: Eating Dark Chocolate Helps Maintain Good Teeth Health

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