Though it does get a chuckle outta me when Easter eggs show up in stores right after Christmas, ain’t many who’d turn down a bit of chocolate come Easter.
Sure, chomping down too much chocolate ain’t great, what with all that fat and sugar. But what’s the deal with folks sayin’ some chocolate does you good?
Turns out, there’s quite a bit of proof that chocolate, under the right conditions, might do wonders for your ticker and your mood.
In truth, chocolate—or to be exact, cacao, the unprocessed bean—is somethin’ of a medical marvel. It’s packed with compounds that act like medicine in your body.
For a compound to mess with your brain, it’s gotta cross the blood-brain barrier. That’s our body’s security system against nasties like germs.
Theobromine’s one such compound in chocolate (and tea), part of what makes tea bitter. Both tea and chocolate got caffeine, too, which is a cousin to theobromine.
These chemicals are why chocolate’s so darn addictive. They make their way to your noodle, messin’ with your nervous system. That’s why they’re called psychoactive.
So, how’s chocolate boost your mood? A bunch of studies looked into this, and most found munching on chocolate spruced up folks’ moods, anxiety, energy, and alertness.
Some even talked about feeling guilty, which we’ve all been through after overindulging.
But it ain’t just your noggin that might thank you for a cocoa fix. For ages, folks used chocolate as a cure-all for stuff like anemia, tuberculosis, gout, and even a saggin’ sex drive.
Though some of those might be tall tales, there’s solid proof that cacao’s got perks for your heart. For starters, it can stop your arteries from getting stiff and clogged, which is how heart attacks and strokes start.
Chowing down on dark chocolate might help with blood pressure and clotting, too, which is key for keepin’ your arteries smooth.
Some research suggests dark chocolate could tweak your cholesterol in a good way, and other studies point out it might help with insulin resistance, linked to Type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
While chocolate might be medicine for some, for others, it’s poison.
We know dogs can’t handle caffeine or theobromine—all that can be real bad for them, causing all sorts of trouble, even death.
Dark chocolate’s the usual suspect, causing dogs to get all worked up, stiff, or even have fits. Eat enough, and it could knock ’em out or mess up their heartbeat, sometimes fatally.
In people, some chocolate compounds can be trouble, too. Chocolate’s got oxalate, which can team up with calcium to form kidney stones.
Folks who get stones a lot are told to steer clear of high-oxalate grub like spinach, rhubarb, and yep, chocolate.
So, what’s this mean for our chocolate-chomping habits? Science says go for chocolate with lots of cocoa solids, and skip the extra junk. The bad stuff in chocolate’s mostly the fat and sugar, which could wipe out any benefits.
A small daily nibble, say 20g-30g, of plain or dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa—forget the milk or white stuff—might just be the ticket to health and a nice buzz.
But no matter your choice of chocolate, keep it away from the pooch, will ya?
Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
