11 health and nutritional benefits of cocoa powder

Cocoa was first used by the Maya civilization in Central America. It began to be used in Europe in the 16th century and quickly gained popularity as a health-promoting medicine. Currently, cocoa is used for the main purpose of producing chocolate, which is a food with many health benefits.

Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, tea, chocolate and wine. They offer a host of health benefits, including reducing inflammation, supporting blood circulation, lowering blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol and blood sugar.
Cocoa is one of the richest sources of polyphenols, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, processing and heating cocoa can cause it to lose these beneficial properties. Cocoa is also commonly treated with alkali to reduce bitterness, resulting in a 60% reduction in polyphenol content.
So, although cocoa is an excellent source of polyphenols, not all cocoa-containing products will provide the same health benefits.

Cocoa, both in powder form and in dark chocolate form, can help lower blood pressure. This finding was first recorded among cocoa-drinking islanders in Central America. People who regularly drink cocoa have much lower blood pressure than those who don't. The flavanols in cocoa are thought to improve blood nitric oxide levels, enhance the function of blood vessels, and lower blood pressure.
The effect of lowering blood pressure is more pronounced in people who already have high blood pressure and in the elderly than in those without and younger people. However, it's important to remember that processing significantly reduces the amount of flavanols, so the effect may not be as noticeable from chocolate bars in general.

In addition to lowering blood pressure, cocoa has other properties that can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Cocoa is rich in Flavanol, which has the ability to improve the level of nitric oxide in the blood, which relaxes and dilates the arteries and blood vessels and improves blood flow. In addition, cocoa also helps reduce bad cholesterol LDL, thin the blood similar to aspirin, improve blood sugar and reduce inflammation. Thereby helping to reduce the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke
Two studies in Sweden showed that eating 19-30 grams of chocolate per day lowers the rate of heart failure. However, if you eat more than the recommended amount above, it will not give better results. This proves that regular consumption of a small piece of cocoa-rich chocolate can help protect your heart.

Several studies have demonstrated that foods high in polyphenols like cocoa can reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases by improving brain function and blood flow.
In addition, flavanols affect the production of nitric oxide, which relaxes vascular muscles, improving blood flow and blood supply to your brain.
A two-week study in 34 older adults, when supplemented with cocoa flavanols, showed an 8% increase in blood flow to the brain after one week and 10% after two weeks. Further studies suggest that daily intake of cocoa flavanols can improve mental performance in both people with and without mental impairment.
These studies show a positive role for cocoa in brain health and positive effects in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

In addition to cocoa's positive effect on age-related mental degeneration, its effects on the brain can also improve mood and symptoms of depression.
The positive effects on mood could be because the flavanols in cocoa convert tryptophan into serotonin, which has a natural mood-stabilizing effect due to its caffeine content, or simply because eating chocolate is often pleasurable.
A study of chocolate consumption and stress levels in pregnant women found that regular chocolate consumption reduced stress and improved mood in newborns after birth.
Furthermore, another study found that drinking cocoa polyphenols improved calmness and increased feelings of satisfaction. Additionally, a study in older men found that eating dark chocolate improved overall health and enhanced psychological well-being.

Many people think that eating a lot of chocolate is definitely not good for blood sugar control, but on the contrary, cocoa has some anti-diabetic effects. Test-tube studies indicate that the flavanols in cocoa can slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the gut, improve insulin secretion, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the absorption of sugar from the bloodstream into the muscles.
Adding a high amount of flavanols in foods like cocoa lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. One human study found that eating dark chocolate or flavanol-rich cocoa might decrease insulin sensitivity, improve blood sugar control, and reduce inflammation in people with diabetes and without diabetes.

It is quite surprising that cocoa supplements, even in the form of chocolate, can help you control your weight. Cacao helps to regulate energy use, reduce appetite, reduce inflammation and increase fat oxidation and increase satiety.
One large study found that people who consumed chocolate more often had a lower BMI than those who ate less, even though this group also ate more calories and fat in the past.
In addition, a weight loss study using a low-carbohydrate diet showed that a group of subjects supplemented with 42 grams of dark chocolate with 81% cocoa content per day lost weight faster than a group only applied the diet. usual diet.

Flavanols in fruits, vegetables and foods have attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community due to their anti-cancer properties, low toxicity and few adverse side effects.
Cocoa has the highest concentration of flavanols out of all the foods mentioned above. Test-tube studies have shown that cocoa has anti-inflammatory effects, inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and helps prevent the spread of cancer cells.
Animal studies using a cocoa-rich diet have shown positive results in reducing breast, pancreatic, prostate, liver and colon cancers and nasopharyngeal cancers.
Human studies have shown that a diet high in flavanols reduces the risk of cancer. However, the evidence for cocoa's effect in reducing cancer is controversial because some studies have not found the expected results and even increased the risk of cancer.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes congestion, inflammation of the airways and can be life-threatening. Cocoa may be beneficial for people with asthma, as it contains anti-asthmatic compounds, such as theobromine and theophylline.
Theobromine can help with a persistent cough. 100 grams of cocoa can provide 1.9 grams of theobromine. Theophylline helps your lungs relax, your airways relax, and reduces inflammation.
Animal studies have shown that cocoa extract can reduce both airway constriction and tissue thickness. However, these findings have yet to be tested in human clinical trials, and it is not clear if cocoa is safe when used with other anti-asthma medications.

Cocoa contains many compounds with antibacterial, anti-enzyme and immune-stimulating properties, good for oral health. However, the majority of cocoa products on the market contain sugar. Therefore, new products should be developed to promote the oral health benefits of cocoa.
Cocoa polyphenols have shown significant benefits for the skin. Long-term cocoa consumption has been shown to provide sun protection, increase blood circulation in the skin, and improve surface texture and hydration.

The European Food Safety Authority recommends adding 2.5 grams of flavanol cocoa powder or 10 grams of dark chocolate containing at least 200 mg of flavanols to the diet each day for cardiovascular health benefits.
However, this number has been considered by some other researchers to be too low for cocoa to promote cardiovascular benefits. In general, it's important to choose cocoa sources that are high in flavanols - the less processed, the better.
Some ways to add cocoa to your diet include:
Eat dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa Drink hot/cold cocoa: Mix cocoa with milk for 1 cup of chocolate milk Smoothies: Cocoa can be Add to smoothies for a richer chocolate flavor. Pudding: You can add raw cocoa powder to the pudding to make your own breakfast pudding or rice pudding Sprinkle on fruit: Cocoa is especially beautiful when sprinkled on bananas or strawberries Vinmec International General Hospital with the system With a system of modern medical facilities, equipment and a team of experts and doctors with many years of experience in medical examination and treatment, patients can rest assured that they will be examined and treated at the Hospital.

Reference source: healthline.com
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