Scientists Discover the Process which Makes Chocolate Consumption Heart-Friendly

Amy Taylor March 19, 2014

You probably heard that dark chocolate is good for your heart but sceptical of the reason why. Just recently, scientists from the Louisiana State University found that the bacteria in our stomach ferment dark chocolate into useful anti-inflammatory compounds that boost heart health.

In the new study, which was presented during the American Chemical Society meeting, it was revealed that gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium feast on the chocolate and release beneficial polyphenolic compounds. Researchers believe adding fruit to chocolate could boost the fermentation process.

Chocolate pill to be set on clinical trials

Meanwhile, the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is planning to carry out a big trial of a chocolate pill for heart disease. They will be working with a chocolate manufacturing company which has patented a way to extract a specific type of these beneficial compounds, called flavanols, from cocoa in high concentration and put them in capsules.

"You’re not going to get these protective flavanols in most of the candy on the market. Cocoa flavanols are often destroyed by the processing." says Dr JoAnn Mason, who will be leading the trial. The idea of the study was to see whether there are health benefits from chocolate’s ingredients minus the sugar and fat, she added.

The trial will involve 18,000 people who will get dummy pills or two capsules a day of cocoa flavanols for four years. No one from the participants or the lead researchers will know who is taking what during the study.

Caution for consumers

Don’t just grab a chocolate bar in the grocery shelf. According to Christopher Allen of the British Heart Foundation, "Though flavanols are found in dark chocolate, this doesn’t mean we can reach for a chocolate bar and think we’re helping our hearts. Flavanols are often destroyed by processing and by the time a chocolate bar lands on the supermarket shelf it will also contain added extras such as sugar and fat.”

He said chocolate can be enjoyed as a treat, but people should make sure they’re not eating in large quantities. "Eating lots of sugary and fatty foods can lead to obesity and type-2 diabetes, which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes," Allen noted.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, together with an active lifestyle, are still the best way to promote heart health, the BHF advises.

Source of this article:

Gut bacteria turn dark chocolate ’healthy’