When in the depths of a YouTube rabbit hole, I find myself watching celebrity food diaries. After a day of avocadoes and green juices, the end-of-day treat is often a few squares of dark chocolate, and social media is awash with claims that the stuff can enhance the health of our heart, brain and gut microbiome. This is somewhat supported by studies that hint at some beneficial effects – but are we collectively engaging in wishful thinking, or should we all be looking at how to consume more of the complex chemicals found in chocolate?
Much of the interest in chocolate stems from its antioxidant content, particularly compounds called flavanols, which suggest may ward off cancer, inflammation and infections. Dark chocolate, which gets its bitter taste from having a higher proportion of cocoa solids than milk chocolate does, really is one of the richest dietary sources of these antioxidants – one found that a typical 100-gram bar contains 170 micrograms of flavanols, compared with 106 micrograms per 100 grams of apple and 40 micrograms in 200 millilitres of black tea.
Are people who eat more chocolate healthier?
Plenty of studies have sought to find out whether people benefit from eating more chocolate, particularly when it comes to cardiovascular health. One study of more than 20,000 people in the UK, for example, found that eating between 16 and 99 grams of chocolate – of any variety – every day was linked to a over the next decade or so, compared with eating no chocolate at all. However, a separate analysis found that any heart health benefits of chocolate a week.
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These findings were based on people self-reporting their chocolate consumption, and data collected this way is often unreliable. But there is more direct evidence too – a small 2003 study found that eating dark chocolate every day with mild hypertension. This may be because a flavanol called epicatechin can boost production, which widens blood vessels. And a trial that involved eating very, very dark chocolate (85 per cent cocoa) found it was linked to an and improved mood.
On top of that, a recent study found that people who have higher blood levels of theobromine – a molecule that we mostly get from dark chocolate – appear to have a younger biological age. However, the study wasn’t a randomised controlled trial, the gold standard for medical research, and the team who conducted it couldn’t be sure that chocolate was the only source of the theobromine they detected – it can also be produced when the body breaks down caffeine.
Where to find cocoa flavanols
While lots of food contains flavanols, chocolate’s high level of the cocoa flavanol , and its action on nitric oxide levels, seems to be what sets it apart.
Because cocoa flavanols can be taken as a supplement, they provide an easy way to test for some of the touted benefits of chocolate. Some of these findings are encouraging: in 2003 for instance, a team linked tablets comprised of cocoa flavanols to changes in platelets that suggest a . But a landmark three-year trial that had more than 3000 older adults take either 500 micrograms of cocoa flavanols every day or a placebo found that the supplement had . For this purpose, we may be better off taking a multivitamin.
If you are interested in trying to get more cocoa flavanols, it might be worth drawing on multiple sources, not just chocolate. Research suggests that cocoa’s antioxidant content can plummet as the beans are processed to make chocolate, which involves fermenting, drying, roasting and grinding. This may also be true of cacao nibs – crushed pieces of cocoa beans – which are often still fermented and roasted. Other sources of cocoa flavanols include berries and tea.
Harnessing any benefits
Overall, the picture on chocolate is tantalising. There are hints of benefits for the brain, heart, microbiome and ageing. But many of the studies into these have been too small to draw firm conclusions, and we don’t know yet whether it’s best to get cocoa flavanols in food or supplement form, nor the ideal quantity.
When contemplating whether to recast one of my weekly chocolate treats as a health hero, I’m minded to remember a 2018 study that found that eating dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa) was linked to , when compared to people who ate milk chocolate instead. What was the catch? The dosage was a mere 2 grams a day – a tiny fraction of a single square.
