Most people know that dark chocolate can have health benefits. In fact, there's a new push to study the effects of chocolate pills on a person's heart health over the course of several years. Now, though, researchers have uncovered exactly why dark chocolate might be good for you. They've found that certain bacteria in your stomach "eat" the chocolate and then ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for your heart.
In order to test the benefits of chocolate-and why it's healthy-the researchers used three different cocoa powders on a model digestive tract. While the antioxidant compounds in the powders were poorly digested in the stomach, the compounds caused desirable bacteria to take over in the colon.
"We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the 'good' ones and the 'bad' ones," said Maria Moore, one of the researchers, in an interview with RedOrbit. "The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate. When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory."
More specifically, the researchers found that the fiber in the powder was fermented and that the large polyphenolic polymers present were metabolized into smaller molecules. These molecules were more easily absorbed, and the smaller polymers had anti-inflammatory activity, according to TechTimes. It's this anti-inflammatory activity that can aid in heart health.
"The next step is to give people cocoa powder and see if we can find these metabolites in the bloody," said John Finely, one of the researchers, in an interview with NPR.
That said, it's important to note that chocolate also contains fats and sugars, which aren't necessarily good for you. Like anything, dark chocolate should be eaten in moderation. Yet these new findings reveal that dark chocolate can be good for your gut-and your health.
