Dietary cocoa improves health of obese mice; likely has implications for humans

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

"Supplementation of cocoa powder in the diet of high-fat-fed mice with liver disease
markedly reduced the severity of their condition, according to a new study. The
researchers suggest the results have implications for people."​

OK, it may nor be a cure-all, but any reason for more chocolate is a win.

Dark chocolate is also an additional source of magnesium, and it’s very high in iron, as well as antioxidants. One ounce provides over 3 mg of iron, so an average serving would be about 1.5 mgs iron, more or less. My math brain is on a break right now.

It’s also a good source of other important minerals, like chromium, potassium, zinc, phosphorous, copper, and manganese.

I think Hershey’s put out a decent dark chocolate cocoa powder a few years ago, and if they don’t still provide it, Guittard (very high quality chocolate manufacturer) does, but it aint cheap. Also Droste, a very good Dutch processor, has a high quality dark chocolate cocoa powder, cheaper than Guittard and, as far as I can tell, almost as good.

Take your pick. I mix about two cups of boiling water with a scant 2 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder (you can use more, I’m just cheap), 1 teaspoon whey powder, ½ teaspoon sugar, and about 6 to 8 drops of stevia. I pop it in my coffee thermos, shake well, and sip after I’m done with my coffee. Which I also put cocoa powder in.

And if you’re still not sold ….

“…. the researchers reported that cocoa-treated mice gained
weight at a 21% lower rate and had smaller
spleen weights -- indicating less inflammation.”​

You can’t be too careful ….

Dietary cocoa improves health of obese mice; likely has implications for humans
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210414154933.htm

@Rebeccare .... in case it might help the OI .... stranger things,y'know .... and a really pleasant way to add in more salt that's actually natural and tasty ... will tag you on that post, too ...

 

[wabi-sabi]

Ooh, I like any reason to eat more chocolate. Hershey's use to make something they called Cacao Reserve (I think) but they discontinued it. So sad.

Is that regular cocoa or Dutch process?

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Is that regular cocoa or Dutch process?

I'm pretty sure Droste is Dutch process, not sure about Guittard, but most powdered cocoa is Dutch process .... and you want powdered cocoa, not cocoa mix, which is mostly sugar and powdered milk. Barely worth the effort of boiling water .....

Also, make sure you get dark chocolate cocoa powder. The milk choc is pretty much void of most of the advantages of chocolate .....

I'm with you .... anything that justifies more chocolate is a total gift ....

 

[wabi-sabi]

What type of cocoa did the research use? I'm not up for reading the article right now.

 

[Alvin2]

It would be interesting to see if exact quantities of those nutrients taken in purified form at the same dose would have the same effect.

 

[wabi-sabi]

It would be interesting to see if exact quantities of those nutrients taken in purified form at the same dose would have the same effect.

But it wouldn't taste as good!

 

[Alvin2]

But it wouldn't taste as good!

Of course but if true the mechanism of action is important to understand

 

[wabi-sabi]

but if true the mechanism of action is important to understand

I agree- but what I'm really looking for here is a reason to eat more chocolate.

 

[Alvin2]

I agree- but what I'm really looking for here is a reason to eat more chocolate.

You don't need a reason to eat more chocolate.

Chocolate is the reason to eat more chocolate

 

[wabi-sabi]

Chocolate is the reason to eat more chocolate

How very true!

 

[Booble]

I drink 1 - 2 cups of cocoa powder with hot water each day. (The baking unsweetened powder.)
It definitely helps.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

I drink 1 - 2 cups of cocoa powder with hot water each day. (The baking unsweetened powder.)
It definitely helps.

That's a great point, and one I'm not sure I underscored enough ...... the unsweetened, dark chocolate cocoa powder is the only one worth considering ..... everything else is pretty much empty calories ....

Thank you for that input @Booble, about its definitely helping you .... as I mentioned, I've been using cocoa powder in my coffee in small amounts, because I found that it improved the flavor profile without making it bitter .....

But after reading that article, I'm going to be following in your footsteps, and using cocoa powder in plain water with a very small amnt of sugar and some stevia. It tastes good, and in the heat of summer, when a steaming hot beverage isn't all that inviting, I'll just add a few ice cubes, and presto!!! Chilled iced chocolate delight ....

 

[Booble]

Enjoy enjoy!
Hubby and I do a heaping teaspoon. A lot of the chocolate ends up staying at the bottom because I drink it slowly throughout the morning. I usually do one refresh of adding more hot water and then sometimes do a second cup later in the day.

For hubby it helps A LOT with depression. I believe that's because it's a serotonin booster. He's absolutely fine when he drinks his cup of cocoa each day. No other meds necessary.

Added benefit is that it is supposed to be very good for our arteries and as you know from my other posts I'm a little nervous about cardiac type things from not doing enough physical activity.

 

[Booble]

Also, Yippee, you might want to try it without the sugar and stevia. I swear you get used to it in less than 3 days. Now I wouldn't be able to add sugar. yuck.
(Once in a blue moon I add vanilla, or cinnamon or mint but when it gets right down to it I'm in love with my daily plain cocoa.)

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Rebeccare

Also, Yippee, you might want to try it without the sugar and stevia.

Nah-uh ..... at only a little over 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to 16 ozs of cocoa, I don't get any reaction from it, and it boosts and expands the flavor profile of the chocolate .... I also add less than 1/16th teaspoon of salt.

Salt is an electrolyte, and works well with the components in the chocolate, and sugar helps your body absorb and process electrolytes more efficiently, so there's method in my hedonism.

(Once in a blue moon I add vanilla, or cinnamon

I always add about 1/4 t. cinnamon per cup of cocoa. It has multiple health benefits, including balancing blood sugar, and I really like the taste .... for me, adding mint to cocoa totally defeats the subtle flavors in the chocolate, knocking them out completely, but chacun a son gout ....

 

[Rebecca under the papyrus]

There was a small study in 2010 which found significant improvements with dark chocolate in CFS...
(PDF) High cocoa polyphenol rich chocolate may reduce the burden of the symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome (researchgate.net)
I've drunk 20-30grams of cocoa powder a day for half a year. It improved my sleep and my gut likes it, too (high on fibre). I like ginger and liquorice in it...

 

[splusholia]

Since I got M.E., I can’t stop eating chocolate.
I’m really addicted.
But the funny thing is the chocolate I eat is 100% cocoa and has no sugar in it. So there must be something else in it I’m addicted to?!

 

[Cipher]

Some quotes from Wikipedia:

Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids (especially flavan-3-ols),[6] a subset of polyphenols. The amount of flavonoids depends on the amount of processing and manufacturing the cocoa powder undergoes. Alkalization, also known as Dutch processing, causes its content of flavonoids to be substantially reduced.[1][7][8]

Natural cocoa
Natural cocoa powder is extracted with the Broma process where after the cocoa fats have been removed from the chocolate nibs the remaining dry cocoa beans are ground into cocoa powder, which is sold to consumers. Natural cocoa powder has a light-brown color and an extractable pH of 5.3 to 5.8.[1][2]
Because of its acidity, natural cocoa is often paired in recipes with baking soda. This neutralizes the acidity and creates carbon dioxide which in cakes helps them rise.
Dutch process cocoa
Main article: Dutch process cocoa

Dutch process cocoa or Dutched cocoa[3] is cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkalizing agent to modify its color, neutralize its pH and give it a milder taste compared to "natural cocoa".[3] It forms the basis for much of modern chocolate, and is used in ice cream, hot chocolate, and baking.
The alkalization process reduces bitterness and improves solubility, which is important for beverage product applications.[4] Alkanizing agents employed vary, but include potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate.

So natural cocoa powder is probably superior to dutch process cocoa.

It might be wise to compare different cocoa powder suppliers regarding their cadmium content, because it's not uncommon that cocoa contains very high levels of it. This is less of a problem in the EU after cocoa cadmium limits got implemented in 2019.

Cadmium content
Cocoa powders may contain cadmium, a toxic heavy metal and probable carcinogen, found naturally in high levels in the soil of some regions of cocoa-producing countries. The European Union has imposed a limit (as of 1 January 2019) for cadmium in cocoa powder of 0.6 µg per gram of cocoa powder and 0.8 µg per gram for chocolate with ≥ 50% total dry cocoa solids.[9] In Canada, a daily serving of a natural health product must contain no more than 6 µg of cadmium for an individual weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) and 3 µg for a 75 lb (34 kg) individual.[10] While the US government has not set a limit for cadmium in foods or health products, the state of California has established a maximum allowable daily level of oral cadmium exposure of 4.1 µg and requires products containing more than this amount per daily serving to bear a warning on the label.[11] One investigation by an independent consumer testing laboratory found that seven of nine commercially available cocoa powders and nibs selected for testing contained more than 0.3 µg of cadmium per serving gram; five of these products exceeded the proposed EU limit of 0.6 µg per gram.[7]

 

[pattismith]

Dark chocolate is also an additional source of magnesium, and it’s very high in iron, as well as antioxidants. One ounce provides over 3 mg of iron, so an average serving would be about 1.5 mgs iron, more or less. My math brain is on a break right now.

It’s also a good source of other important minerals, like chromium, potassium, zinc, phosphorous, copper, and manganese.

...And oxalate

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

...And oxalate

If you want to avoid oxalates completely (and chocolate is between a moderate and high offender), you'd have to start with the really bad offenders:

• Spinach.
• Bran flakes.
• Rhubarb.
• Beets.
• Potato chips.
• French fries.
• Nuts and nut butters.

You'd also probably want to avoid higher than RDA intake of Vit C, capping your intake at no more than 500 mgs a day, and that's pushing it, as well as beef, pork, eggs, cheese, and fish.

And while you're at it, why not make a clean sweep and knock out carrots, celery, parsnips, summer squash, tomatoes, and turnips and green beans (those last two are medium oxalate).

Also peanuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green tea, some black teas, beans, beer, berries, all dark green vegetables (especially spinach, as already noted above), cinnamon, ginger, turmeric (including curcumin most probably), lima beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, lentils, and split peas (lentils and garbanzo beans may have more oxalates, and split peas have more oxalates than regular peas), tofu, tempeh, and miso, soy generally, Swiss chard, buckwheat, wheat bran.

Navy beans and almonds (this would include almond milk, so much for 'healthier' options) are VERY high in oxalates ....

So are raspberries, processed meats, pumpkin, eggplant, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, almost all popular breakfast cereals, ....

The list goes on and on ....

So enjoy a lemon water, bok choy, broccoli, iceberg lettuce, and bell pepper diet. Oh, and bananas and I think papaya.

The jury's conflicted on coffee.

This has depressed me so badly I'm heading straight for some dark chocolate (which is also a good source of magnesium, a mineral known to help stop kidney stones from forming). Maybe with a side of iceberg lettuce . Then I'll think about taking additional vitamin E, selenium, and arginine which have all been shown to reduce oxalate/oxalic acid damage.

I don't need to increase my magnesium intake, cause I already take a whole boatload, but if y'all don't but also like a lot of high oxalic acid foods, you might want to boost that. And oxalic acid can interfere with thyroid function in some people, so be aware.

Now where did I put those 75% dark chocolate covered dried tart cherries .... I know they're here somewhere .... unless the Gnomes found them .... they really love chocolate, which they've found goes exceedingly well with their various 750 proof home brews ... Damn !!! ... I know they're not in the garage or basement, both of those are a bridge too far ....I was sure I left them in kitchen ..... or the dining room. Living room? Guest room? Den? Just damn damn damn ....