Health Benefits of Your Favourite Easter Treat
Easter has just been and gone and there’s no doubt that your weekend probably included chocolate of some sort? Now, no stress, I’m not here to judge you. If you have been following me for a while you’ll know that I am absolutely a believer in ‘soul food’. Sometimes we just gotta eat food that nourishes and feels good for our soul, rather than being the best choice for our body, nutritionally speaking.
What if I told you that your favourite easter treat actually had some health benefits?!
Okay, so now I’ve got your attention - let’s dive in…
Chocolate is made up primarily of cacao beans which are fermented, roasted, and ground to make cocoa powder. This cocoa powder is then mixed with other delightful ingredients to make the chocolates that filled our Easter baskets this weekend. However, did you know that cocoa in it’s raw form cacao (note the placement of the ‘a’s and ‘o’ here) has been highly studied and researched on the benefits it has on human health, in particular our cardiovascular system.
So, what do I mean by potential benefits to the cardiovascular system?
There have been studies conducted on the potential ability that cacao has to lower our blood pressure, reduce our LDL cholesterol levels (our ‘bad’ cholesterol) and even help with potential insulin resistance. All of this working to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack (I’ll link some of the articles below).
It has been well-documented that these benefits coming from the cacao beans are said to be due to a naturally occurring substance called Polyphenols, specifically Flavonols, which cacao beans are naturally full of - even moreso than green tea.
Y’all know I am a sucker for everything brain-related, so when I read a more recent review exploring the potential benefits that cacao (and potentially these flavonols) has on BRAIN HEALTH, I just knew I had to share…
So, how can chocolate help improve our brain health?
Cacao is now being researched as a potential nutritional therapy for those with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Dementia, which we know that there is currently no known cure or prevention for.
The method of action behind these potential benefits is somewhat cloudy but what we are able to understand from current research is that cacao (or chocolate) supplementation through diet has shown promising results in those with early stage cognitive decline. Researchers are trying to understand whether it’s the flavonols having the direct reaction on the neural connections in the brain, or if it’s a mix of that and increased blood flow to the brain itself. They believe that the flavonols can encourage the expression of neuro-protective proteins that increase the formation of new neurons and promote brain connectivity. Some are also hypothesising that it’s potentially an improvement of overall health with this increased polyphenol intake (with improved cholesterol and insulin levels) that are having these positive effects on our brains.
What we do know is that patients with early-stage cognitive decline who were consuming cocoa drinks daily (containing between 500 - 900mg of flavonols) DID show improvements in their working memory, executive function and their processing speeds. How cool is that?
In addition to this and something to take away for all you young ones out there is the fact that while most ‘anti-aging’ research is conducted in older groups, there is now some research coming out that supports the potential benefits on cognitive function and neuroplasticity in young adults. This research is suggesting that inclusion of daily cacao in our diets may be able to support better performance in verbal learning, memory and attention span (hello uni students, I’m looking at you).
While more studies are needed to be conducted on the potential to benefit and prevent cognitive decline and to improve academic/work outcomes in younger adults. I think this is incredibly promising research that bodes well for our health now and in the future.
So if this was the green flag you needed to have a piece of that Easter chocolate, you are welcome!
If you are looking for a way to optimise your brain function, improve your moods and increase your energy levels - look no further. Book in with me for an individualised treatment plan to get you feeling like the best version of yourself.
Articles for Cardiovascular Health & Cacao:
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.827022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523275280
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6315948/
Articles for Brain Health & Cacao:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9311747/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760676/
*Cover photo sourced from Pexels