Balzer and colleagues also observed maximal increases in FMD 2 h after ingestion of cocoa and greater increases among participants ingesting cocoa containing higher amounts of flavanols. In appropriate doses, flavanols—especially catechin and epicatechin—in cocoa increase blood flow to the skin, improve skin hydration and thickness, and protect skin from the sun’s damaging effects. Whether a particular brand of chocolate spread is healthy or not depends on its nutrient and calorie composition. Dietary flavonoids may decrease cardiovascular risk by protecting lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids from oxidative damage, as well as reducing inflammation and regulating vascular homeostasis ( 205).

There I was moaning about her while she was more concerned with my health, and now I won’t have my morning coffee without cocoa. Dark chocolate FlavaBars alone deliver the same 500mg of flavanols per serving, the only chocolate bar on the market to do so. Chocolate revives the drooping spirits and cheers those ready to faint, expelling sorrow, trouble, care, and perturbations of the mind, is an ambrosia… it cannot be too much praised. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. You can improve the quality of your cacao drink by using this recipe Teemu Arina (co-author of the Biohacker’s Handbook) recommended in the 2022 Biohacker Summit for the cacao bliss feeling and improved brain performance.

The medicinal uses of cacao or chocolate either as a primary remedy or as a vehicle to deliver other medicines originated in Mesoamerica, where it was consumed by indigenous peoples, and diffused to Europe in the mid-1500s. The doctor said the “dark stuff” is the healthy option when it comes to chocolate because of its rich flavonoid content. SKIN BENEFITS: in an independent study, after 6 weeks of consuming the high-flavanol cacao powder in Aduna Super-Cacao, skin hydration was shown to improve by 21%. Choose a brand that has been analyzed and is low in cadmium and lead, such as Dagoba or Hershey’s 100% Cacao Natural Unsweetened.

Participants in Harvard’s COSMOS study were asked to consume 500mg of cocoa flavanols in the form of multiple pills per day, raising questions about how to consume an equally high amount of flavanols from chocolate. I’ve personally noticed that my energy stays the same throughout the day after substituting coffee with ceremonial cacao. Chronic inflammation is responsible for the progression of atherosclerotic lesions through advancing stages. Our lab has conducted two studies to investigate the effects of cocoa or chocolate on endothelial function.Based on these results, Hurst posited that gallated flavan-3-ols (epigallocatechin-3-gallate [EGCG] and ECG; found in green tea) may be more susceptible to oxidation in relation to epicatechin ( 113). Unabated inflammation will further increase the concentration of macrophages and lymphocytes that promote the formation of fibrous tissue in the lesion through the release of hydrolytic enzymes, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. In addition to causing vasodilation, NO also prevents leukocyte adhesion and migration, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and platelet adhesion and aggregation ( 80).