Our cacao, which originates from South America, is now all around us: not only do we consume it in chocolate and hot drinks, add it to cakes and sprinkle it on cappuccinos, but increasingly, roasted cocoa beans make an interesting snack to accompany a film or a book. Fans of products containing cacao usually emphasise their taste and unique aroma, but relatively few consider the beneficial effects of cocoa treats on our health. In this article, we will take a look at the health properties of cacao. So you will find the answer to the question of how cacao affects us, both physically and mentally.

Ceremonial cacao - composition

Let us begin our journey through the health benefits of consuming cacao by establishing a basic problem known since the Middle Ages: the problem of dosage. In the 14th century, Paracelsus, one of the great pioneers of medicine, stated that everything is poison and medicine at the same time, depending on the dose [3]. It is generally accepted, for example, that fruit is healthy, but few nutritionists would recommend eating several kilos of fruit a day. Similarly, there are some substances that in large quantities can do us great harm, but in small doses have a beneficial effect on our health. For this reason, the caveat on cacao is that it is good to take it in the right amount (20-40g twice a week [4]), as one component of a varied diet. In this way, when eaten together with other substances important to us, products containing cacao can have a positive effect on our body. What specifically about cocoa beans makes them nutritious for humans?

Why is cacao healthy?

Let's start with the basic composition of true, full-fat cacao, which is also known as ceremonial cacao. The primary ingredients in it are carbohydrates and fats [1]. We may associate the latter with something not very desirable due to the advice surrounding us to limit our consumption of fatty foods. However, it is important to know that fats are simply energy bricks present in most foods and cannot be said to be unequivocally good or bad for our health. The fats contained in cacao are mainly oleic, stearic and palmitic fats [1], i.e. both saturated and unsaturated fats. The former are often said to be bad for us because of cholesterol, but the chemical structure of cacao means that it does not raise blood cholesterol [2]! Eating huge amounts of cacao would therefore not be optimal for our bodies, but if we are looking for saturated fats in our diet, a hot drink containing full-fat cacao seems an excellent option. Combined with carbohydrates, such a cup of steaming cacao will give us a real energy kick!

Other essential components of cacao are fibre and protein [1], the former being an invaluable support for the digestive system and the latter an elementary building block for our tissues. In 100 grams of full-fat cacao, we can find - to the delight of our intestines - up to 37 grams of fibre [2]! In addition, cocoa bean products have the power of B vitamins (niacin, riboflavin) and minerals (including magnesium, iron and calcium) [2]. All of the above already proves that cacao is a valuable part of our daily diet. And this is just the beginning!

Cacao and physical health

In addition to its wealth of nutrients, cacao also contains more advanced substances that protect against disease and cancer [4]. First and foremost, it should be noted that cocoa powder, due to the presence of flavonols, helps regulate glucose metabolism, and this directly translates into a reduced risk of type II diabetes [2]. The low glycaemic index also means that people already suffering from diabetes need not be overly concerned about cacao [4]. It should be noted here, however, that we are still talking about real cacao and not blended or sweetened products whose composition differs significantly from ceremonial cacao.

In addition to its links with the sugar economy, cacao is rich in an ingredient that has become famous as a magical agent for slowing down the ageing process: antioxidants (antioxidants). And although, as with any magic remedy, the magic of cocoa is not literal, the consumption of scavenging antioxidants prevents many negative processes and, as a result, our cells stay alive longer [2]! The antioxidants in cacao additionally have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic effects [2] - all of which sounds like wonderful news for a fan of chocolate flavour!

And that's still not all, as a diet rich in cacao also makes us less likely to suffer from diseases such as dementia and all indications are that it also protects against strokes, heart disease and cancer [5]. Consumption of cacao is also recommended for magnesium deficiencies [1] and for the prevention of kidney stones [5]. In the case of the latter, the salutary ingredient in our favourite dark brown powder is theobromine, which helps cleanse the kidneys, but is also helpful in the treatment of asthma and hypertension [5]! The health properties of cacao also include protection of dental enamel [2] (but only if our cacao is real cacao, without additional sweeteners!), support for the cardiovascular system [5], and stimulation of the immune system [2]! One would like to think that cacao cannot be so miraculous and probably only works if used internally. But that would be a miss - because cacao also makes an excellent natural cosmetic in the form of cocoa butter [1]. And on top of all this, one must also add its effects on the mental side of our health!

Psychoactive properties of cacao

We have already written about the psychoactive properties of cacao elsewhere [6], so here we will focus on expanding and complementing that information. We already know that the anandamide in cacao protects against stress and the mental disorders associated with it, while phenylethylamine and tryptophan improve mood and cognitive functioning. In addition, cacao also has quite a bit of caffeine in it, which, although there is less of it here than in coffee, interacts with its other ingredients to effectively stimulate the body [7].

What is not quite so obvious, however, is that because of the aforementioned phenylethylamine, which is sometimes called the 'love hormone', cacao can be a very good aphrodisiac [2]. Add to this the fact that the antioxidants we mentioned a bit above promote fertility [2] - both of which suggest that cacao can help both mentally and physically for couples who are trying to have offspring. And if someone lacks the energy to engage in sexual activity, the theobromine in cacao can also help them by reducing fatigue and improving mood [5].

It is worth elaborating further on the link between cocoa beans and our memory and cognitive functions, and adding that the chocolate products rich in cacao that we love so much stimulate our memory and concentration [2]! Studies have shown that older people who undertook a diet was rich in cacao had improvements in these two functions, but also in overall processing speed and mental performance [7]. For this effect to occur, however, cacao must not only be pure, but also consumed regularly in large quantities, although ad hoc effects of taking a single dose have also been observed [7].

There is probably much more that could be said about the health-promoting properties of cacao - in this article, we have tried to address the most important aspects of including cacao products in the daily diet. It would seem that there must be a catch in all of this, a drawback to cacao that makes it not worth consuming. As far as we know, however, there is no catch, unless we consider the general rule of thumb that should guide us whenever we try something new. It reads: not too much, not too little!