Cocoa, not chocolate, has health benefits due to its high concentration of flavonoids, which fight free radicals. Cocoa can also stimulate the release of serotonin in the brain and has been used for medicinal purposes since the 1500s. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are recommended over milk chocolate for health benefits.
Sometimes dreams really do come true: chocolate can be good for us. Unfortunately, when it comes to health, not all chocolate is created equal. In fact, it’s not really the chocolate that has health benefits for humans, but rather the cocoa from which the chocolate is made. Pure cocoa, the raw product derived from the processing of the cocoa bean, is made into chocolate by combining it with different combinations of cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, sugar, dairy products, vanilla, and often an emulsifier such as soy lecithin. . The finished product, while it tastes much better than the bitter cocoa bean, has lost many of its healthful properties on its journey to become the creamy sweet treat we love.
Several studies have been conducted in hopes of unlocking the health benefits of chocolate. Studies have shown that, like the fruits and vegetables we eat, the cacao plant contains phytochemicals. Cocoa has a particularly high concentration of these compounds, specifically known as flavonoids. The presence of flavonoids indicates that the cacao plant is packed with antioxidants, known to fight free radicals that cause cancer and heart disease. Medical and scientific experts have discovered that other power foods, such as green tea and red wine, have high concentrations of these disease-fighting compounds. Research has shown that the amount of antioxidants in cocoa is significantly higher than that of green tea or red wine.
Other research has shown that eating chocolate may have pharmacological effects in humans. Cocoa can stimulate the release of serotonin in the human brain and even have similar mood-altering effects to passionate kissing and opiate drugs. Compounds in cocoa that are believed to have an effect on the human brain include theobromine, tryptophan, anandamide, phenethiamine, and caffeine. Studies on the pharmacological effects of cocoa are promising but not conclusive.
Cocoa has been used as a traditional method of healing since the early 1500s in Europe, but it was originally used by the traditional people of the New World: the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Olmecs. Traditionally, the most widespread medicinal use of cocoa was as a treatment for the underweight, a stimulant for the nervous system or exhaustion, and as a treatment for poor digestion. The cocoa plant is also known to treat hair loss, coughs, water retention, rheumatism, dry lips, and has been used as an antiseptic for burns and wounds.
It sounds like cocoa is a super plant, but what about chocolate? Unfortunately, the common chocolate preparation is high in fat, sugar, and calories. The amount of cocoa, and therefore chocolate, that one would need to ingest to reap the health benefits would be outweighed by the risk of ingesting additional fat, sugar, and calories. Some research even shows that milk and milk products, which are part of most chocolate products, can interfere with the healthy effects of cocoa. As a general rule of thumb, experts suggest dark chocolate and cocoa powder over milk chocolate, white chocolate, and hot cocoa mixes. By incorporating chocolate, an equivalent number of calories must be eliminated from other parts of the diet, as obesity is a threat to heart health.
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