10 Health Benefits of Cacao
It’s not secret that cacao is now considered one of the most chemically complex, nutrient-rich foods on the planet.
There is a growing body of science into the health benefits of cacao, backing up what some Indigenous societies have known for millenia: that cacao is an incredibly healing, nutritious superfood which a whole host of benefits.
Here’s our top ten:
1. Improves Cognitive Function
Consuming cacao regularly can improve attention, processing speed, general cognition, attention, processing speed, and working memory, and reduce mental fatigue—in the long term as well as immediately after consumption. Much of this is thanks to theobromine, and its antioxidant flavonol content. This study found it could even reduce some measures of age-related cognitive dysfunction.
2. Supports Heart Health
Cacao’s high concentration of theobromine and flavonols is largely responsible for its ability to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. Minerals like potassium and zinc are also crucial in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. Cacao can lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, prevent blood clots, raise HDL (the “good” cholesterol), and protect against oxidation of LDL. Eating dark chocolate more than five times per week lowered the risk of heart disease by 57% in this study.
2. Boosts the Immune System
With cacao’s high content of of flavonoids and minerals we can deduct that consuming cacao may have beneficial effects on the immune system. Its polyphenols help feed good gut bacteria, which are also essential to keeping strong immunity.
It’s a good source of zinc, one of the most important nutrients for fighting off bacteria and viruses, and it may even be able to increase the production of your body’s white blood cells.
5. Supports the Gut
The gut microbiome is so vital and complex it’s often referred to as “the second brain”, yet science is still trying to figure out how it all works.
An increasing amount of research is discovering just how much the bacteria in your gut impects all aspects of your body and mind. A healthy gut can potentially prevent or improve health conditions, including mood disorders, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, cancer, arthritis and obesity. Consuming cocoa flavanols can offer a prebiotic effect, stimulating the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
4. Protects Against Chronic Diseases
Cacao polyphenols express antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. Such health-promotion protexts against oxidation stress and chronic inflammation, both of which are major risk factors for cancer and other diseases. Antioxidant effects can directly influence insulin resistance, helping to reduce your risk for diabetes, while the anti-inflammatory potential of cocoa flavanols may offer protection against everything from coronary heart disease to chronic kidney disease.
6. Boosts Mood
The psychoactive compounds present within cacao generate a whole host of mood-enhancing properties. These include theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine (otherwise known as the “love drug”), and some of the body’s own naturally occurring antidepressants like anandamide (whose name translates as “bliss”), tryptophan, serotonin and dopamine.
8. Enhances Performance
The flavanols in cacao can even influence the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), which often equates to enhanced physical performance. Indeed, this study found that after eating dark chocolate, cyclists used less oxygen and covered a longer distance compared to a cacao-less ride.
7. Improves Sleep Quality
Our stress levels directly impact our sleep. Cacao can be both energising and calming, giving you the right balance of each, just like adaptogenic herbs. It can reduce blood pressure (insomniacs often have higher nighttime blood pressure) and mitigate the effects of anxiety, which is what keeps some of us awake at night, due to its magnesium concentration and trace amounts of tryptophan. And even though theobromine is a mild stimulant, it could still contribute to longer sleep.
9. Protects Skin and Teeth
Cacao makes us look good! Its flavanols help protect the skin from sun damage. This in turn can reduce wrinkles and even boost collagen, according to one study. Theobromine’s antimicrobial properties have shown it can be more potent than fluoride in protecting your teeth from decay.
10. Slows Down Aging
As well as keeping your skin fresh and firm, cacao can delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Another fascinating study found that one major flavonoid in cacao, called epicatechin, showed anti-aging effects in mice. After a regular diet that included epicatechin, the gene expression and protein levels of old mice resembled that of young mice, and their survival rate increased by 69%.
