Dark chocolate can improve your

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Companion health Dr. Vedrana Högqvist Tabor Follow
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Today chocolate is often seen as an indulgent treat—but it hasn’t always

been that way. Historically, cacao and chocolate have been used by cultures
all over the world as a form of medication.

People have been consuming food made from cocoa beans since at least 460
AD, and probably even before then. Cacao and chocolate were used for
medical treatment a couple of centuries ago—most commonly to improve
brain function and digestion, as well as to induce weight gain (2).

People still consume a lot of chocolate and often claim it improves their
overall well-being.

Facts about cocoa

An average person living in China eats 120 grams (or 4.2 ounces) of
chocolate per year.

An average person living in the US consumes 5.2 kg or (11.5 pounds) of

chocolate per year.

An average person living in Ireland consumes 11.9 kg (or 26.2 pounds)

of chocolate per year (3).

Cocoa or cacao is the dried and fermented seed of the fruit of the cocoa tree
(4). It contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and molecules called polyphenols
(4,5). Cocoa becomes cacao nibs when ground, roasted, and shelled.

Chocolate is made by combining cocoa and sugar. The proportion of cocoa

in chocolate determines how dark the chocolate will be. The darker the
chocolate is, the more of its original content is preserved.

The oil in cacao is referred to as cocoa butter. It contains a mixture of good

and bad fats (6). Cocoa butter is used to make chocolate and certain
cosmetics. The bran of the cocoa bean is high in fiber, although commercial
cocoa products have only some fiber left after processing. Research has
shown that this fiber can improve the good-to-bad cholesterol ratio (7).

A 100 kcal chunk of unsweetened dark chocolate (70%-85% cocoa)

contains 1.7g fiber.

A 100 kcal chunk of milk chocolate contains 0.6g fiber.

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder contains close to 2g of fiber,

and only 12 kcal (5).

Health benefits of dark chocolate

The cocoa bean is rich in minerals—including magnesium, copper,
potassium, and calcium—which help keep your heart and blood vessels
healthy.

These minerals also contain many different antioxidant molecules,

collectively known as polyphenols (5, 8). The most well-known polyphenols
are flavonoids, which help regulate the immune system and reduce
inflammation in the body (9-11).

Polyphenols in cocoa can enhance the antioxidant function of vitamin C and

selenium (12).

Research has shown that moderate consumption of dark chocolate (less

than 100g per day) significantly improves insulin sensitivity and sugar
metabolism, lowers bad cholesterol, and normalizes blood pressure (5, 13,
14).

Chocolate has an effect on your gut too. Immune cells in the gut change in
number and function with an increased consumption of dark chocolate or
cocoa (15).

Many of the molecules in your body that cause inflammation are reduced in
number when eating dark chocolate or cocoa—this can help with
Hashimoto’s flare-ups (5, 16).

Dark chocolate can also reduce brain fog and help with improving long-
term memory and focus (17, 18). It can also protect skin from UV light
damage (19).

Eating smaller amounts of dark chocolate or cocoa—such as 20g or less per

day—should not lead to an increase in weight (5). Some research has
shown that consuming cocoa can actually reduce fat, while the smell of
chocolate can suppress hunger (5, 20).

Which type of dark chocolate is the healthiest?

To get the health benefits of chocolate or cocoa, you need to consume an
effective dose with active components (flavonoids, minerals, and vitamins).
So dark chocolate is a much better choice than milk or white chocolate.

But different types of dark chocolate have different amounts of active

components. This happens because of the differences in cocoa bean
processing during roasting and fermentation (5).

Read the label on the chocolate package and make sure there are enough
flavonoids. Labels will not typically state the amount of flavonoids in their
product, but you can find out by seeing what type of processes were used to
make the chocolate.

If you read “treated with alkali” or “dutching process”, that is an indicator

that your chocolate is no as rich in flavonoids as it could be (5).

Notable negative effects of chocolate are acne and heartburn—and for some
people it can cause migraines and weight gain (5, 21). But all of these
effects are much less pronounced when consuming dark chocolate.

Effects of chocolate on thyroid function

Artificial colors and flavors added to some chocolates can cause thyroid
hormones to be imbalanced, specifically raising T4 hormone levels (5).

While cocoa flavonoids have many benefits—including stabilizing blood

pressure and the immune response while reducing inflammation—they
might interfere with thyroid function.

Research has shown that flavonoids from some other plants (most notably
soybeans) can affect the amount of thyroid hormones available to different
organs in the body (22). However, flavonoids found in chocolate have not
been reported to cause such effects (23).

Chocolate is made to be enjoyed and eating it responsibly might help your

body feel even better. And remember, it’s best to choose dark chocolate over
milk or white chocolate.

Track your digestion, weight, and more in the BOOST Thyroid app.

. . .

References

1. Seligson FH, et al. Patterns of chocolate consumption, 1994

2. Dillinger TL, et al. Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural
history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate, 2000

3. Caobisco. Charts ranking of consumption chocolate confectionery, 2007

4. McShea A, et al. The essence of chocolate: a rich, dark, and well-kept

secret, 2009

5. Katz DL, et al. Cocoa and Chocolate in Human Health and Disease, 2011

6. Bracco U. Effect of triglyceride structure on fat absorption, 1994

7. Jenkins DJ, et al. Effect of cocoa bran on low-density lipoprotein

oxidation and fecal bulking, 2000

8. Sternberg FM, et al. Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids: implications for

cardiovascular health, 2003

9. Court R, et al. Cocoa and cardiovascular health, 2009

10. Rein D, et al. Cocoa inhibits platelet activation and function, 2000

11. Selma C, et al. The anti-inflammatory properties of cocoa flavanols,

2006

12. Shapiro H, et al. Polyphenols in the prevention and treatment of sepsis

syndromes: rationale and pre-clinical evidence, 2009

13. Jia L, et al. Short-term effect of cocoa product consumption on lipid

profile: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2010

14. Johnston K, et al. Dietary polyphenols decrease glucose uptake by

human intestinal Caco-2 cells, 2005

15. Kenny TP, et al. Cocoa flavanols and procyanidins can modulate the
lipopolysaccharide activation of polymorphonuclear cells in vitro, 2009

16. Mackenzie GG, et al. Epicatechin, catechin, and dimeric procyanidins

inhibit PMA-induced NF-kappaB activation at multiple steps in Jurkat T
cells, 2004

17. Williams S, et al. Eating chocolate can significantly protect the skin from
UV light, 2009

18. Sober C, et al. Trigger factors of migraine and tension-type headache:

experience and knowledge of the patients, 2006

19. Matsui N, et al. Ingested cocoa can prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity
by regulating the expression of genes for fatty acid metabolism, 2005

20. Massolt ET, et al. Appetite suppression through smelling of dark

chocolate correlates with changes in ghrelin in young women, 2010

21. el-Saadany SS. Biochemical effect of chocolate colouring and flavouring

like substances on thyroid function and protein biosynthesis, 1991

22. de Souza dos Santos MC, et al. Impact of flavonoids on thyroid function,
2011

23. Hamper R, et al. Short-term effect of soy consumption on thyroid

hormone levels and correlation with phytoestrogen level in healthy
subjects, 2008

Health Hashimotos Chocolate Thyroid Lifestyle

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WRITTEN BY

Dr. Vedrana Högqvist Tabor Follow

CEO @Boost_HealthApp|| TEDx speaker || Cancer hunter ||

Hashimoto’s patient|| Parentpreneur || Learning from own
mistakes since 1977

Boosted — by BOOST Thyroid App Follow

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