5 good reasons to eat chocolate according to science
Purists like it black, curious people like to be surprised by a hint of salt or a fruit flavor. Before eating a square with greed or guilt, let’s go back to basics. Chocolate is not cocoa. “Industrial confectionery (mixture of fat and sugar), the 90% tablet with very little sugar, artisanal chocolate are not the same thing… And yet chocolate, in the collective imagination, is all that. Cocoa (beans) is the source of active ingredients in chocolate and has pharmacological properties.
1. It affects brain chemistry
Cocoa activates the neuronal reward circuit because it contains psychoactive substances, including theobromine and caffeine, both of which have stimulant effects on the central nervous system. Recent studies indicate that these compounds reduce fatigue and improve concentration and short-term affect and mood. But the mechanism of action is still unclear…
2. Boosts memory
Eating cocoa epicatechin (a very potent flavonoid) improves cognition and increases markers of neurogenesis. It has long been believed that neurons develop only during childhood. It is now known that they regenerate even as adults. Antioxidants such as flavonoids appear to favor this process.
3. It could protect against Alzheimer’s
Animal and human studies suggest a neuroprotective action with long-term use of two cocoa compounds (theobromine and clovamide), which act by decreasing β-amyloid peptides that accumulate as plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
4. He would be a heart ally
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) gave a favorable opinion in 2012 on cocoa flavanols and its direct action on vasodilation. On the other hand, animal studies show that the cocoa epicatechin is cardioprotective.
5. It has anti-diabetes properties
Studies show that cocoa has a normoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory and regulating effect on fat and sugar metabolism. In particular, it improves sugar use and physical performance.
