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Calcium: Vital for bone health, present in significant amounts especially in milk chocolate due to its milk content. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "Cocoa, glucose tolerance, and insulin signaling: cardiometabolic protection."
Research suggests it’s the flavonoids in dark chocolate that maintain heart health. These chemicals help produce nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax and blood pressure to lower, per a review published in March 2017 in the American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology.At their core, milk chocolate and dark chocolate have similar ingredients, including cocoa butter, sugar and cocoa solids. The two kinds of chocolate differ in their percentage of cocoa solids, however. They include reducing the risk of developing heart disease and experiencing a stroke and better brain health A 2017 clinical trial found that subjects who consumed almonds with or without dark chocolate showed improved LDL cholesterol levels ( 3).
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate and a frozen banana to your blender and whip up a nondairy substitute for chocolate ice cream. It is important to note that cocoa loses some of its polyphenol compounds as it is processed into cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate through the manufacturing processes. Processing cocoa not only reduces some of its most beneficial compounds but may also add sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, a processed form of the cocoa bean. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: “Cocoa, glucose tolerance, and insulin signaling: cardiometabolic protection.” What’s more, several observational studies have concluded that eating dark chocolate regularly may reduce the risk of heart disease.However, since the biological process is known (lower blood pressure and lower oxidization-prone LDL), it’s plausible that regularly eating dark chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease. Summary While there may be some concerns in relation to whether or not it’s safe to eat chocolate overall, not just dark chocolate, during pregnancy, research suggests there are some benefits to it. Shanthamma S, Priyanka S, Priyanga S, Moses JA, Anandharamakrishnan C. Production of low glycemic index chocolates with natural sugar substitutes. J Culinary Sci Tech. 2021. doi:10.1080/15428052.2021.1978364 Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. However, dark chocolate contains much less caffeine than coffee. A 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, compared to the 200 mg found in an eight ounce cup of coffee.
Berk, L., et al. (2018). Dark chocolate (70% cacao) effects human gene expression: Cacao regulates cellular immune response, neural signaling, and sensory perception [Abstract]. Other than tasting great, what are the benefits of eating dark chocolate? There are quite a few, let’s explore some of those wider dark chocolate health benefits: A further randomized and controlled double-blind study of sixty individuals had participants consume 25 grams of dark chocolate per day for eight weeks. Results showed a significant decrease in blood pressure ( 26). Fat: The primary fat in chocolate is cocoa butter, which contains equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but unlike most others, it doesn’t raise blood cholesterol levels. Petyaev I, Dovgalevsky P, Chalyk N, Klochkov V, Kyle N. Reduction in blood pressure and serum lipids by lycosome formulation of dark chocolate and lycopene in prehypertension. Food Sci Nutr. 2014;2(6):744-750. doi:10.1002/fsn3.169
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The more cocoa solids, the more caffeine, in fact. A 3.5-ounce serving of dark chocolate with 70%-85% cacao has 80 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 95 milligrams and a 12-ounce can of caffeinated soda has between 40 and 55 milligrams. If you’re watching your caffeine intake, keep an eye on how much is in your dark chocolate, too. Kawakami et al: Effect of cacao polyphenol-rich chocolate on postprandial glycemia, insulin, and incretin secretion in healthy participants. It is worth noting that these values (particularly the sugar content) will depend on the exact percentage of cocoa. Vitamin B12: Another vitamin present due to the inclusion of milk, B12 is crucial for the functioning of the nervous system and the production of red blood cells.
This study was a cross-sectional survey using data from 13,626 adults participating in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES). Most notably, this survey found that adults consuming dark chocolate had a significantly lower risk of suffering from symptoms of depression ( 35). Kord-Varkaneh H, Ghaedi E, Nazary-Vanani A, Mohammadi H, Shab-Bidar S. Does cocoa/dark chocolate supplementation have favorable effect on body weight, body mass index and waist circumference? A systematic review, meta-analysis and dose-response of randomized clinical trials. Critical Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018;59(15):2349-2362. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1451820
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Evidence that dark chocolate possesses properties that could help protect against certain types of cancer is limited but growing. Antioxidants protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules thought to be responsible for aging and disease, per previous research. Eating chocolate every day doesn’t sound like the best way to prevent diabetes, but studies have shown healthy amounts of dark chocolate rich in cacao could actually improve how the body metabolizes glucose when eaten as part of a healthy diet. Insulin resistance causes high blood glucose (sugar) and is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, per an article published in March 2019 by StatPearls. While it’s often regarded as the most indulgent form of chocolate, does it also offer some nutritional value in terms of vitamins?
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