The Mind-Blowing Science of Dark Chocolate

It’s Easter weekend, so naturally the nation’s chocolate consumption rises exponentially. But while so many people turn to the more traditional milk eggs to celebrate, swapping them for dark chocolate will offer you infinitely more health benefits – and there’s a lot of science to prove it.

A Secret Superfood

While milk chocolate is a modern and mostly ultra-processed food, dark chocolate has been around for centuries – and it has higher antioxidant power than teas. (1) Packed with flavonoids, a type of polyphenol that has anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, dark chocolate is also a great source of magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium and copper. (2) Look for varieties that are made with over 70% cacao and a minimal ingredients list to get the most health benefits for your buck. The less added sugar, the better.

Mood-Booster

We often turn to chocolate when we’re in need of comfort, but there is science to back that up. One study found that daily consumption of dark chocolate helps improve mood in healthy adults. (3) It seems to have prebiotic effects on the gut microbiome, which – thanks to the gut-brain axis – also ensures the healthy release of neurotransmitters and hormones, which contribute to good mental health. (4) Cocoa percentage is everything, though – the research found that it was 85% dark chocolate that offered these results, whereas those consuming 70% did not experience the same boost in mood. 

Brain

Beyond its perks for heart health and mood, dark chocolate is also believed to enhance cognition and brain health. (5) How? It’s that rich flavonoid content again, which increases blood flow to both the heart and brain, while also helping to regenerate and stimulate our neurons to work optimally. 

Heart Health

Its flavonoid content can also help prevent cardiovascular disorders and high blood pressure because it increases nitric oxide levels in our system. (6) Studies suggest that dark chocolate also seems to increase insulin sensitivity, which is great to promote healthy blood sugar levels and boost our overall health and wellbeing. It's important to balance overall sugar intake, of course, but the overall message is that when it comes to chocolate, going as dark as possible can mitigate the impact of its sugar content.

Below are a list of brands we love, that are minimal ingredients, free of refined sugar and high have a high percentage of cacao: 

Montezuma
Ombar
Cosmic Dealer
Hu Kitchen
Raw Halo

References: 

1. 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 Dec 3;51(25):7292-5. doi: 10.1021/jf0344385. PMID: 14640573.

2. Ullah A, Munir S, Badshah SL, Khan N, Ghani L, Poulson BG, Emwas AH, Jaremko M. Important Flavonoids and Their Role as a Therapeutic Agent. Molecules. 2020 Nov 11;25(22):5243. doi: 10.3390/molecules25225243. PMID: 33187049; PMCID: PMC7697716.

3. Ji-Hee Shin, Chong-Su Kim, Jiah Cha, Sojeong Kim, Seokoh Lee, Suyeon Chae, Woo Young Chun, Dong-Mi Shin, Consumption of 85% cocoa dark chocolate improves mood in association with gut microbial changes in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial, The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Volume 99, 2022, 108854,ISSN 0955-2863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108854.

4. Clapp M, Aurora N, Herrera L, Bhatia M, Wilen E, Wakefield S. Gut microbiota's effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clin Pract. 2017 Sep 15;7(4):987. doi: 10.4081/cp.2017.987. PMID: 29071061; PMCID: PMC5641835.

5. Samanta S, Sarkar T, Chakraborty R, Rebezov M, Shariati MA, Thiruvengadam M, Rengasamy KRR. Dark chocolate: An overview of its biological activity, processing, and fortification approaches. Curr Res Food Sci. 2022 Oct 15;5:1916-1943. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2022.10.017. PMID: 36300165; PMCID: PMC9589144.

6. Davide Grassi, Giovambattista Desideri, Stefano Necozione, Cristina Lippi, Raffaele Casale, Giuliana Properzi, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Claudio Ferri, Blood Pressure Is Reduced and Insulin Sensitivity Increased in Glucose-Intolerant, Hypertensive Subjects after 15 Days of Consuming High-Polyphenol Dark Chocolate123, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 138, Issue 9, 2008, Pages 1671-1676, ISSN 0022-3166. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/138.9.1671.

7. Rostami A, Khalili M, Haghighat N, Eghtesadi S, Shidfar F, Heidari I, Ebrahimpour-Koujan S, Eghtesadi M. High-cocoa polyphenol-rich chocolate improves blood pressure in patients with diabetes and hypertension. ARYA Atheroscler. 2015 Jan;11(1):21-9. PMID: 26089927; PMCID: PMC4460349.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any medical or psychological conditions. The information is not intended as medical advice, nor should it replace the advice from a doctor or qualified healthcare professional. Please do not stop, adjust, or modify your dose of any prescribed medications without the direct supervision of your healthcare practitioner.