Eating dark chocolate with high cocoa content in moderation can deliver antioxidants and minerals and may help protect you from heart disease. But it may also contain high amounts of sugar and calories.
Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that may positively affect your health. Made from the seed of the cacao tree, it’s one of the best sources of antioxidants.
Studies show that dark chocolate may help improve your health and lower the risk of heart disease.
Here are 7 health benefits of dark chocolate or cocoa that are supported by science.
If you buy quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, then it’s quite nutritious. It contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals.
A 50-gram bar of dark chocolate with
- Fiber: 5.5 grams (g)
- Iron: 33% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Magnesium: 28% of the DV
- Copper: 98% of the DV
- Manganese: 43% of the DV
In addition, it has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.
The fatty acid profile of cocoa and dark chocolate is also good. The fats consist mostly of the heart-healthy fats oleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid.
Stearic acid has a neutral effect on body cholesterol. And, while palmitic acid can raise cholesterol levels, it only makes up one-third of the total fat calories.
Of course, 50 g is a fairly large amount, as these nutrients and healthy fats also come with 300 calories and 12 g of sugar. For this reason, dark chocolate is best consumed in moderation.
Dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that are biologically active and function as antioxidants.
Compounds like polyphenols, epicatechin, catechin, and oligomeric procyanidins found in dark chocolate help your body fight against free radicals, which may cause oxidative stress and increase the risk of developing diseases.
The antioxidants found in dark chocolate may play a role in:
- lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol
- preventing cell damage
- protecting against arterial stiffness
- improving blood glucose management
- boosting brain health
The flavonoids in dark chocolate can
One of the functions of NO is to send signals to the arteries to relax, which lowers the resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces blood pressure.
Some studies suggest that the flavonoids in cocoa and dark chocolate may contribute to the improvements in blood flow and lower blood pressure.
However, research is mixed.
A 2019 study in women found that eating 85% dark chocolate slightly elevated blood pressure levels 2 hours after eating. That said, eating the dark chocolate during periods of stress actually helped lower blood pressure and heart rate slightly.
Given the great variation between studies on this subject, more research is needed to understand the effects of eating dark chocolate on blood pressure.
Consuming dark chocolate may help improve several important risk factors for heart disease. It may protect against high cholesterol.
For instance, a
Some forms of LDL cholesterol are more likely to oxidize, which happens if they react with free radicals in your body. Oxidation makes the LDL particle itself reactive and capable of damaging other tissues, such as the lining of the arteries in your heart.
Cocoa may help lower oxidation-prone forms of LDL because it contains antioxidants that make it into the bloodstream and protect lipoproteins against oxidative damage.
Dark chocolate also contains theobromine and stilbenes, which may both help increase HDL “good” cholesterol.
The compounds in dark chocolate appear to be highly protective against the oxidation of LDL.
In the long term, this may lead to less cholesterol lodging in the arteries, resulting in a lower risk of heart disease.
In fact, research shows a fairly drastic improvement.
Over time, consuming flavanol-rich cocoa or dark chocolate can help improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and protect against conditions like heart disease.
A 2017 review revealed that eating chocolate 3 times per week lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 9%. Eating chocolate more often showed little additional benefit.
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Although these findings are promising, more evidence is needed to determine whether dark chocolate reduced the risk.
The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate may also be great for your skin.
A 2021 review suggests that the flavanols could help:
- protect against sun damage
- improve blood flow to the skin
- increase skin density and hydration
The minimal erythemal dose (MED) is the minimum amount of UVB rays required to cause skin discoloration in the skin 24 hours after exposure.
Studies have shown that MED can increase and even double after consuming high-flavanol dark chocolate or cocoa for 12 weeks. The result is that your skin has better protection from the sun.
If you’re planning a beach vacation, consider enjoying some extra dark chocolate in the prior weeks and months.
However, remember that chocolate can’t replace sunscreen and other forms of sun protection.
Dark chocolate may also improve the function of your brain.
Studies show that eating high flavanol cocoa could help improve blood flow to the brain in young adults. This may explain why eating cocoa daily appears to improve attention, verbal learning, and memory.
Cocoa flavonoids may also help maintain brain health and the ability to think in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and reduce the chance of progressing to dementia. But more research is needed.
Additionally, cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which may be a key reason why it can improve brain function in the short term.
Eating around 50 g of dark chocolate daily could provide good amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients that may have several benefits for your brain and heart.
Yes, when eaten in moderation, 85% dark chocolate may provide several health benefits. Generally, the higher the cocoa percentage, the better the dark chocolate is for you.
Cocoa and dark chocolate may provide powerful health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease and boosting brain health.
This doesn’t mean you should go all out and consume lots of chocolate every day, as it’s still relatively high in calories and sugar, and it’s easy to overeat.
However, consider eating a square or two after dinner and try to savor them. If you want the benefits of cocoa without the calories in chocolate, consider making a hot cocoa without any cream or sugar, or adding cocoa to a smoothie.
Also, note that a lot of the dark chocolate on the market is not nutritious. Remember to choose dark chocolate with 70% or higher cocoa content.
