It has been widely reported that dark chocolate is very beneficial as far as blood pressure, lower body weight and the heart is concerned, and newly unveiled research may have uncovered the reason related to the cardiovascular link.
The study was conducted by a team of research specialists at the Louisiana State University. They tested cocoa powders in a model of the digestive tract and discovered that certain bacteria in the stomach consume dark chocolate. This good bacteria in turn ferments it and then releases anti-inflammatory compounds that benefitt the heart per WebMD.
The research was scheduled to be presented Tuesday in Dallas where the American Chemical Society was convening.
“We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the good ones and the bad ones,” Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study authors, said in a society news release.
“The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate,” Moore said in the news release. “When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory.”
The leader of the study, John Finely, is a professor in LSU’s department of food science. He reported that “When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke.”
Finley said, to his knowledge, this is the first time an examination of this kind has taken place in terms of the effects dark chocolate has on various types of stomach bacteria.
The team also discovered evidence that the health benefits for people significantly increased when dark chocolate was consumed with solid fruits and sited pomegranates and acai as ideal examples.
However, all of the research, findings, data and conclusions are routinely considered to be strictly preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
Since the benefits of dark chocolate seem to be overwhelming, indulging the gut bacteria with a few pieces of the dark sweet, seems like a win win situation.
Scientists Study the Underlying Health Secrets of Dark Chocolate