Dark Chocolate The Gift Of Boosting Our Mood And Health

Dark chocolate that’s at least 70-85% boosts mood, is neuroprotective to the brain, balances blood sugar and lowers blood pressure. This tasty treat contains L-tryptophan a building block of the hormone serotonin which can be beneficial for our mood. If gifting a basket of desserts or sweet treats is your tradition try to select organic fair trade dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa content.

Chocolate containing 70-85% cocoa has the most of the serotonin precursor L-tryptophan, with 13.3 micrograms per gram.
- Journal of Chromatography A, April 2012.

Chocolate also contains t​​he brain chemical phenylethylamine, often known as the “love drug”, known to promote our feelings of attraction, excitement and love. Chocolate has other effects on the brain and effects hormones such as endorphins, our feel good hormone, and potentially has a neuroprotective effect as was studied in the British Journal of Pharmacology. The action of dark chocolate on our brain is positive and has a boosting effect on our mood.

A standard bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cacao contains 600 calories and 24 grams of sugar, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrient database. Milk chocolate contains roughly the same number of calories but twice the sugar.
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169593/nutrients

Chocolate is also good for our heart and blood vessels due to its high content of flavonoids that may protect the heart. The amount of cocoa solids in dark chocolate is important because it can be an indicator of the amount of dietary flavonoids, which are antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables and some drinks. Dark chocolate contains up to 2-3 times more flavonoid rich cocoa solids than milk chocolate.

Flavonoids have been shown to support the production of nitric oxide in the endothelium, the inner cell lining of blood vessels, that helps to relax the blood vessels and improve blood flow, thus lowering blood pressure. My other favourite food for increasing nitric oxide are beets.

In short term studies, flavonoids in chocolate can help our body’s response to sugar through its insulin response. This could reduce diabetes risk in combination with other diet and lifestyle modifications.

Dark chocolate is a source of minerals such as:

• iron
• magnesium
• zinc
• phosphorus

Some interesting facts you may not know about dark chocolate from the Harvard School of Public Health

• Cocoa is sometimes treated with alkali, or Dutch-processed, to improve the flavour and appearance. However this causes a significant loss of flavanols. Natural cocoa, found in the baking aisle, retains the most flavanols.
• The higher percentage of cocoa solids, the higher the caffeine content. Two ounces of 70% dark chocolate contains about 50-60 mg caffeine. In comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 100-200 milligrams of caffeine.
  
• If your chocolate has developed bloom – a whitish surface coating – no need to throw it out! You can remove the bloom by melting the chocolate, stirring it well, and then allowing it to slowly cool back into a solid.
• Chocolate is derived from an intensive process of farming, harvesting, and transport, often employing less expensive labor or child labor overseas. “Fair trade” labeled chocolate certifies that the chocolate has been manufactured at a fair wage and with the exclusion of child labor.

Dark chocolate has several health benefits and is high in minerals like magnesium. It can be beneficial for improving tryptophan and boosting our mood, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and also improving insulin sensitivity and thus blood sugar levels. For a decadent sweet treat, a piece (or a few pieces) of 75-80% dark chocolate has extensive positive influence on our health. That sounds like a delicious idea to me.  

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Best in health,

Dr. Amy Tung, ND

References:

• Grassi D, Desideri G, Mai F, et al. Cocoa, glucose tolerance, and insulin signalling: cardiometabolic protection. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63:9919-26.
  

• Guillien-Cassa V, et al. Determination of serotonin and its precursors in chocolate samples by capillary liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection. Journal of Chromatography A. Vol 123.6 April 2012, Pages 158-165.

• Hooper L, Kay C, Abdelhamid A, et al. Effects of chocolate, cocoa, and flavan-3-ols on cardiovascular health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95:740-51.

• Nehling, A. The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Mar; 75(3): 716–727.