Benefits of cocoa: is it really good for your health?
The French are crazy about chocolate: they consume 6.7 kg per year and per capita and 97% eat it at least once a week. Moreover, they generally prefer it black – 30% against 5% for other Europeans. And they are right, because dark chocolate is rich in cocoa, and it is in the latter that all the virtues are nestled. Here is a quick overview of the benefits of cocoa.
Focus on cocoa
Origin of cocoa
Cocoa is native to Latin America. This brown powder comes from thegrinding of the almond of fermented and roasted cocoa beans. It differs from cocoa butter: after grinding, the cocoa mass is pressed to separate the butter, fat mass, from the oilcake, the dry mass. Then the bluttage takes place: the cakes are crushed and crushed to give cocoa powder, which is used in the manufacture of chocolate andchocolateflavors.
Nutritional values of cocoa
But what exactly does cocoa powder contain, which could explain its benefits? In a few key data:
- It “weighs” 228 kcal per 100 g, with a high nutritional density and anexceptional content of antioxidant substances ;
- It is well endowed withprotein, since it contains 19.6 g per 100 g and no less than18 different amino acids ;
- cocoa powder also containslipids, i.e. 13.7 g per 100 g, includingmono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid, linoleic acid);
- cocoa is highly endowed withcarbohydrates, at a rate of 57.9 g per 100 g for the powder, but these arecomplex (polysaccharides) and are in the form offibers (pectin, cellulose …);
- it is not devoid of vitamins and minerals –vitamins of group B and K, very rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, to a lesser extent iron, copper, zinc and manganese;
- Finally, cocoa powder containscaffeineand a high dosage oftheobromine.
What are the benefits of cocoa?
The exceptional nutritional values of cocoa powder explain its virtues. The main ones are as follows.
BenefitNo.1: An antioxidant of choice
Benefit # 2 : A food that is good for cognitive functions
Benefit no. 3: an asset for cardiovascular health
and. Thus it is praised for its protective effects on cardiovascular health. How do we explain it? Here again, its exceptional composition justifies its qualities:
- Polyphenols Helpreduce blood triglycerides and help neutralize the risk of dyslipidemia;
- cocoa powder contains PUFAs and PUFAs ( good fats ), recognized for their protective effect on the arteries ;
- the high theobromine content of cocoa encourages vasodilation , for better blood circulation;
- finally, cocoa contains vitamin K, which regulates blood coagulation .
Benefit # 4 : Blood Sugar Lowering Effects
Even more surprising: despite its carbohydrate content, cocoa powder could reduce the risk of Diabetestag. Its sugars are indeed complex and, associated with antioxidants, theywould significantly improve insulin sensitivity (8)tag. Regular consumption of cocoa could therefore smooth fasting blood sugar and prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. But beware, we are talking about cocoa powder here, and not chocolate! Because the latter, especially if it is milk and very sweet, may have the opposite effect…
Benefit # 5 : A Metabolism Booster
What if cocoa allowed you to lose weight? The idea seems crazy, and yet… Not only does itlimit the risks of developing a metabolic syndrome (9) , due to its hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic action, but it is also well endowed with caffeinetag. But the latter is known toaccelerate the metabolismand encourages lipolysistag. A 2015 study(10) also highlighted the nutritional qualities of dark chocolate with a high cocoa content: combined with a Low Carbohydrate Diet , its consumption could act as a real booster for weight loss .
Other Notable Cocoa Benefits
Among the other virtues of cocoa, we can quickly mention:
- the prevention of constipation , since cocoa powder is rich in fiber;
- Good Bone Health , since the food is both well endowed with calcium (strengthens bones and teeth) and phosphorus (allows better assimilation of calcium by the body);
- more resistant skin , thanks to antioxidant substances that boost skin cell renewal and protect the epidermis from free radicals, but also thanks to copper and zinc;
- a lower propensity for water retention (therefore cellulite), cocoa being richly endowed with potassium, which promotes diuresis.
References
(1)Showing all foods in which the polyphenol (-)-Epicatechin is found
(2)2003, Lee et al.,Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and a Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine
(3)2009, Ramiro-Puig, Castell,Cocoa: antioxidant and immunomodulator
(4) 2010, Preza et al.,Antitumor activity against murine lymphoma L5178Y model of proteins from cacao seeds in relation within vitroantioxidant activity
(5)2017, Socci et al.,Enhancing Human Cognition with Cocoa Flavonoids(6)2009, Spencer,Flavonoids
and brain health: multiple effects underpinned by common mechanisms
(7) 2007, Baba et al.,Continuous intake of polyphenolic compounds containing cocoa powder reduces LDL oxidative susceptibility and has beneficial effects on plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations in humans
(8)2016, Lin et al., Cocoa Flavanol Intake and Biomarkers for Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
(9)2013, Gu, Lambert,Modulation of metabolic syndrome-related inflammation by cocoa(10)2015, Bohannon et al.,Chocolate with High Cocoa
Content as a Weight-Loss Accelerator
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.