Is cocoa healthy?

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Originally from South America, cocoa now surrounds us at every turn: not only do we consume it in chocolate and in hot drinks, add it to cakes, and sprinkle it on cappuccinos, but - increasingly - roasted cocoa beans make us an interesting snack for a movie or a book. Fans of products containing cocoa usually emphasize their taste and unique aroma, but relatively few people consider the beneficial effects of cocoa treats on our health. In this article we will take just the health properties of cocoa. So you will find here the answer to the question of how cocoa affects us, both physically and mentally.

Cocoa Paste (Ceremonial Cocoa)

Natural cocoa powder

Ceremonial cocoa - composition

Let's begin our journey through the health benefits of cocoa consumption by establishing a basic problem known since the Middle Ages: the problem of dose. In the 14th century, Paracelsus, one of the great pioneers of medicine, stated that everything is poison and medicine at the same time, zależnie od dawki¹. It is widely recognized, for example, that fruit is healthy, but few nutritionists would recommend eating several pounds of fruit a day. Similarly, there are some substances that in large quantities can do us great harm, but in small doses have beneficial effects on our health. For this reason, a caveat should be made about cocoa, that it is good to take it in the right amount (20-40g twice a week²), As one of the components of a varied diet. In this way, when eaten along with other substances important to us, products containing cocoa can positively affect our bodies. What specifically about cocoa beans makes them nutritious for humans?

Why is cocoa healthy?

Let's start with the basic composition of real, full-fat cocoa, which is also known as ceremonial cocoa. The basic ingredients in it are carbohydrates and fats³. 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 cocoa are mainly oleic fats, stearynowe i palmitynowe⁴, That is, both saturated and unsaturated fats. The former are often said to be harmful to us because of cholesterol, but the chemical structure of cocoa makes it so, that it does not raise blood cholesterol⁵! Eating huge amounts of cocoa 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 cocoa seems like an excellent option. Combined with carbohydrates, such a cup of steaming cocoa will give us a real energy kick!

Other key components of cocoa are fiber and protein⁶, of which the former is an invaluable support for the digestive system, and the latter an elementary building block for our tissues. In 100 grams of full-fat cocoa we will find - to the delight of our intestines - up to 37 grams of fiber⁷! In addition, cocoa seed products have the power of B vitamins (niacin, riboflavin) and minerals (e.g. magnesium, żelazo i wapń)⁸. Already all the above information proves that cocoa is a valuable part of our daily diet. And this is just the beginning!

Cocoa and physical health

In addition to its wealth of nutrients, cocoa also contains more advanced substances, that protect against disease and cancer⁹. First of all, 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 diabetes¹⁰. The low glycemic index also makes, that people already suffering from diabetes need not be overly concerned about cocoa¹¹. It should be noted here, however, that we are still talking about real cocoa, not blended or sweetened products, the composition of which differs significantly from ceremonial cocoa.

In addition to compounds with the sugar economy, cocoa is rich in an ingredient that has become famous as a magical agent for slowing down the aging process: antioxidants (antioxidants). And although, as with any magic remedy, cocoa's magic is not literal, consuming stripped-down antioxidants prevents many negative processes and, as a result, our cells stay alive longer¹²! The antioxidants in cocoa additionally have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic effects¹³ - all this sounds like wonderful news for a fan of chocolate flavor!

And that's still not all, because a diet rich in cocoa also makes us less likely to develop diseases such as dementia, and all indications are that it also protects against strokes, heart disease and cancer¹⁴. Consumption of cocoa is also recommended for magnesium deficiencies¹⁵ and as part of kidney stone prevention¹⁶. In the case of the latter, the salutary ingredient in our favorite dark brown powder is theobromine which aids in cleansing the kidneys, but also helpful in treating asthma and hypertension¹⁷! Among the health properties of cocoa is also cited the protection of dental enamel¹⁸ (ale tylko, if our cocoa is real cocoa, without additional sweeteners!), cardiovascular support¹⁹, as well as stimulating immunity²⁰! One would like to think that cocoa can't be that miraculous and probably only works if used internally. But that would be a miss - because cocoa also makes an excellent natural cosmetic in the form of cocoa butter²¹. And on top of all that, you have to add its impact on the mental side of our health!

Psychoactive properties of cocoa

About the psychoactive the properties of cocoa we have already written about elsewhere²², so here we will focus on expanding and supplementing the information there. We already know that the anandamide in cocoa protects against stress and the mental disorders associated with it, while phenylethylamine and tryptophan improve mood and cognitive functioning. In addition, cocoa 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, skutecznie pobudzając organizm²³.

What is not quite so obvious, however, is that because of the aforementioned phenylethylamine, which is sometimes called the „love hormone”, cocoa can be a very good aphrodisiac²⁴. Add to that the antioxidants we mentioned a bit above, promote fertility²⁵ - 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 cocoa can also help, reducing fatigue and improving mood²⁶.

It is worth elaborating further on the connection between cocoa beans and our memory and cognitive functions, and adding, that the cocoa-rich chocolate products we love so much stimulate our memory and concentration²⁷! Studies have shown that elderly people who took up a diet was rich in cocoa, there was an improvement in these two functions, but also overall processing speed and mental performance ²⁸. For this effect to occur, however, cocoa 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 ²⁹.

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