By Dr. Mercola
The health benefits of dark chocolate are all the rage right now,
with increasing numbers of studies pointing to its rich concentrations
of beneficial antioxidants and polyphenols.
This applies particularly to dark chocolate because it contains a
higher concentration of cacao seeds than milk chocolate, and therein
lies the secret to its health-promoting powers.
Cacao refers to the plant, a small evergreen tree of the species Theobroma cacao,
which is cultivated for its seeds, also known as cacao beans or cocoa
beans. The term “chocolate” refers to 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.
Cocoa, on the other hand, refers
to the powder made from roasted, husked, and ground cacao seeds, from
which most of the fat has been removed. Knowing the meaning of these
terms is important, because if you think you’re improving your health
by eating typical chocolate candies, you’re being misled.
That being said, however, certain types of chocolate, as well as
cocoa powder and cacao, are turning out to be powerful super foods that
rank right up there among the most anti-inflammatory and
antioxidant-rich foods known to mankind.
Chocolate Is Linked to 40+ Health Benefits
In case you were wondering, it’s not only your heart that might
benefit from the compounds in cacao and cocoa powder. A wide range of
accumulating scientific research has linked its consumption to over 40
distinct health benefits.
8
While most of you have heard about the importance of antioxidants, a
primer might help, beginning with the explanation that the formation of
free radicals in your cells can damage your DNA to the point that your
risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and
cancer are elevated.
This is why the antioxidant polyphenols in chocolate are so
valuable, as they have the ability to stop free radical-mediated
oxidation. This helps to decrease your risk of those and other diseases
by directly interfering with one of the major preventable causes of
chronic degenerative diseases.
Chocolate also contains other potent plant “chemicals,” including
anandamide, named after the Sanskrit word for “bliss,” which is a
neurotransmitter in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain
and anxiety. The 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.
How to Identify High-Quality Chocolate… and Determine the Right ‘Dose’
In general, it seems preferable to
consume smaller amounts of chocolate at more frequent intervals, much
like the principle of split dosing for supplements, in order to ensure a
steadier stream of nutrients in your bloodstream.studies
show daily consumption in divided doses (two to three times per day)
is probably beneficial, as long as you aren't going overboard in
quantity, and as long as you're eating high-quality chocolate.
The closer your cocoa is to its natural raw state, the higher its
nutritional value. Ideally, your chocolate or cocoa should be consumed
raw (cacao). When selecting chocolate, you can optimize its nutritional
punch by looking for higher cacao and lower sugar content. In general,
the darker the chocolate, the higher the cacao. However, cacao is
fairly bitter, so the higher the percentage cacao, the more bitter it
is (the flavanols are what make the chocolate bitter, so manufacturers
often remove them. But, it's those flavanols that are responsible for
many of chocolate's health benefits). To counteract the bitterness, most
chocolate is sweetened, so it's a matter of balancing nutritional
benefit with palatability.Although raw cacao is the most nutritious form, most of the health
studies to date involve consumption of cocoa or chocolate,
not raw cacao.
And the results are STILL significantly positive. This fact suggests a
good portion of the nutritional benefit of chocolate is retained after
processing. Your goal then is to find a chocolate that's as
minimally processed as possible,
but still palatable. You don't want to eliminate too many of the health
benefits by eating a product that contains a lot of sugar and
chemicals. Choose chocolate with a cocoa/cacao percentage of about 70
or higher.
If you can tolerate the flavor of raw cacao, however, then that's
the absolute best option. Milk chocolate is not a good choice as it
contains both pasteurized milk and large quantities of sugar, which
will significantly dampen its health benefits. White chocolate is also
high in sugar and contains
none of the phytonutrients, so it is
not a good choice either. Dark chocolate – as high in cacao and as
bitter as you can stand -- is your best option.