Why Dark Chocolate Is So Damn Good For You

[ThePythonicCow]

From http://io9.com/why-dark-chocolate-is-so-damn-good-for-you-1546437895

~~~~~~~~~~




Why Dark Chocolate Is So Damn Good For You

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-xlarge2/tvq5xplzlwa4d8fxsfcc.jpgFrom improving heart health to alleviating the effects of depression, dark chocolate is renowned for its remarkable health benefits. A recent study now points to one of the reasons why — and it has to do with dark chocolate's unique chemistry, plus the microbes in our stomach who find it equally delicious.

How awesome is it that dark chocolate, in addition to being tasty, is so incredibly healthy? It's good for your heart and brain. It's full of antioxidants (which reduces oxidative stress to cells), theobromine (which can harden tooth enamel), and various vitamins and minerals (such as iron, potassium, copper, and magnesium). It can also help you reduce your blood pressure, ease depression, control your blood sugar and lose weight (but you should keep your dark chocolate t0 >85%, people).

The precise reasons for these health benefits are many, but a new study presented at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society explains much of it. Research shows that certain bacteria in our stomach consume dark chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for our hearts.

According to the researchers, the "good" bacteria in our guts — such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria — feast on chocolate. The resulting compounds, or bi-products, are absorbed by our body, lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, which can reduce the long-term risk of stroke and heart disease. This study, conducted by researchers at Louisiana State University, was the first to look at the effects of dark chocolate on various types of bacteria in our stomach.

In terms of the exact chemistry involved, cocoa powder contains several polyphenolic, or antioxidant, compounds such as catechin and epicatechin, and a small amount of dietary fiber. Once they reach the colon, the microbes take over. The fiber is fermented and the large polyphenolic polymers are converted into a smaller, more easily absorbable form.

These findings were recently presented at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and will appear in an upcoming paper titled, "Impact of the microbiome on cocoa polyphenolic compounds."~~~~~~~~~~

[Hazel]

Yeaaah aknaaaw droool....

[Craig]

Damn now the elite will find a way to take it away or Monsanto it's arse and remove the goodness

[Lifebringer]

Pharma will strip and sell each chemical in a pill for each benefit it does, or Congressman like Rosa De Lauro will use HR 875, to ban it or classify it as a drug for Monsanto/hubby's company/major stock holder standing to gain from US food contracts in schools, grocery shelves to sell us "less than 2% daily allowance of the body's needed vitamins or nutrients.

Sucks to be US/voters when people you think are good for one thing in your party, yet their greedy side sneaks a bill or two in. UNethical?
You Betcha! She may stand for women's rights(probably just to gain the seat for hubby) but she stabbed us in the back, telling us women, WE have to eat petrochemical veggies with carcinogens and 3 gene Salmon off a farm that can't reproduce without the endangered natural salmon females. DNA splicing at MONSTERSANTO and she brings a bill, to kill us?

Bye bye Rosa, De Lauro. The bills dated Aug 1st, 2005, and even though she snuck it through and now they've cut farm substidies, I believe the plot for more in her family coffers, is the intent.

Light up the switchboards, contact Bernie Sanders Independent in VT, or D Mark Begich or R Lisa Murkowski both of Alaska. I think this is just another way for oil companies to exploit the salmon run that has been there for billions of years. With our depletion of the worlds fish supplies, they are using 3 genes from "unknown species" in their FRANKENFISH/Monsanto SALMON.

Enough! I as a human would boycott the fish and crustaceans, until there is some regulation on it. I'd rather forgo it all, to have Omega 3 for the future family. Putting a price on lives, hasn't worked so well for every species on this planet, including us.

[chocolate]

If they ever decide to do that, I will descend upon them with all my mighty fire and thunder ... and watch what happens!
Thank you, Paul, for this inspiring thread!

So now I feel good around here. Being appreciate and such :o
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Chocolat_sheet.jpg

[Hazel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEl_yQ0azVg&feature=player_detailpage

[Wind]

http://www.aussiehealthproducts.com.au/images/quotes/chocolate-is-health-food-for-the-soul.jpg

[chocolate]

Can Chocolate Boost Brain Health?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/08/07/209943266/can-chocolate-boost-brain-health-don-t-binge-just-yet

...there's a solid body of research showing that cocoa flavanols can help control blood pressure and generally improve cardiovascular health. Plenty of evidence has linked cardiovascular health to cognition, and more recently, researchers have been asking whether cocoa flavanols can also boost brain health.

"Our knowledge is just beginning to emerge," says Kwik-Uribe. But you can't conclude much from the Neurology study, she adds.

The researchers in the study, she notes, didn't find a difference between those who drank cocoa with high levels of flavanols and those with very low levels. The authors also failed to keep track of what else the participants were eating that might have influenced their improved cognitive test scores.

In fact, cocoa's impact on the brain wasn't really the main point of the study anyway, as study author Farzaneh Sorond, a neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, points out. She and her colleagues were mostly interested in investigating the link between poorer performance on thinking and memory tests and lower blood flow to the brain. The chocolate bit was really more of an aside.

"I do not recommend that people add chocolate or cocoa to their diet at this point," Sorond told The Salt via email. "Our results are preliminary and adding the extra calories, sugar and fat that comes with chocolate and cocoa carries additional health hazards which may offset any possible brain benefits."

But don't fret just yet, chocoholics: While this study may not tell us all that much, other research on cocoa flavanols and brain health, while preliminary, is more promising.

Scientists have homed in on one particular flavanol, (-)-epicatechin (it's pronounced minus epicatechin), as the likely source of the brain benefits seen from cocoa. For example, studies have found that mice fed (-)-epicatechin had better spatial memory and formed more new blood vessels than mice that weren't given the compound. And research in snails has found the slimy crawlers were able to remember a trained task for at least a day when given the flavanol, compared to less than three hours without it.

As for humans, Kwik-Uribe and her colleagues published a study last year that looked at 90 elderly patients with mild memory problems. Those who drank cocoa with medium levels (520 mg) to high levels (990 mg) of flavanols daily for eight weeks showed major improvements on tests that measured factors such as attention, verbal fluency and working memory, compared to those whose cocoa had low flavanol levels (45 mg).

So how do cocoa flavanols confer their brain benefits? Researchers don't know for sure, though there are plenty of ideas.

It might be that flavanols promote better brain blood flow and help generate new blood vessels (the more oxygen your noggin gets, the better it performs). Or maybe flavanols encourage the expression of proteins that protect the brain and promote neuron connections. Cocoa flavanols also help control blood sugar, which might be protecting the brain from declines associated with insulin resistance.

[chocolate]

Chocolate.

There are few foods that people feel as passionate about -- a passion that goes beyond a love for the "sweetness" of most candies or desserts: after all, few people crave caramel, whipped cream, or bubble gum. Chocolate is, well, different. For the true chocoholic, just thinking about chocolate can evoke a pleasurable response. You may want to grab a bar or make a nice cup of hot cocoa before you begin exploring here.
This special online-only edition of Exploring takes a closer look at the sweet lure of chocolate. We'll examine the fascinating -- and often misreported -- history of chocolate, follow the chocolate-making process, and take an online visit to a chocolate factory. We'll also look at the science of chocolate, and find out about the latest research into the possible health effects of its consumption. Lastly, we'll explore the somewhat controversial question of why chocolate make us feel so good.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/

Andrew Waterhouse, the lead researcher from U.C. Davis, is a wine chemist. For several years he has been studying the possible health benefits of antioxidant phenolics found in red wine. Waterhouse told us that phenolic compounds are found in all plant products, and that the plants "probably make them as protective agents and for improving their success at reproduction." The bitter, astringent taste that these plants have is an indication of the phenolics found within.

So how might phenolics prevent heart disease? Apparently, phenolics prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries. Said Waterhouse: "It's now believed that atherosclerosis, or the formation of plaque in the arteries, is caused by oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoproteins) -- that's one of the cholesterol particles. At first, this leads to subtle damage, and then eventually to the formation of advanced plaque." The buildup of plaque can lead to clogging of the arteries, a major cause of heart attacks.

While phenolics have chemically been proven to reduce oxidation, Waterhouse cautioned that: "It's not known if the phenolic compounds, like the flavenoids that are present in chocolate, can reduce disease. It's well known that these substances are antioxidants in a chemical sense...but we don't have strong, large-scale, controlled human studies." More research still needs to be done, but certainly the initial research is encouraging.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/choc_7.html

So I suggest, we volunteer? :)

Daily Dose Of Dark Chocolate May Help Lower Blood Pressure

We realize the skinny on chocolate seems too good to be true, but there have been positive signs lately that a bit of the sweet stuff is OK.

A few months back we reported on a study that found a regular chocolate habit — in moderation, of course — may be good for the waistline.

Now, there's a new review from the Cochrane Collaboration, a science-based group in the U.K. that analyzes bodies of research to determine the effectiveness of health claims. It finds that compounds in cocoa called flavanols may help to reduce blood pressure.

There are multiple lines of inquiry into flavanols in chocolate. For instance, we've told you about preliminary research that has found the compounds in cocoa can inhibit the activity of a digestive enzyme and block the breakdown of fat.

The new review on blood pressure included 20 studies varying in length from two to 18 weeks. Volunteers in the studies consumed dark chocolate or cocoa powder each day ranging from 3 to 100 grams (a regular-size 1.5-ounce Hershey bar is about 43 grams). And the results? Overall, there were small reductions in blood pressure, averaging 2-3 mm Hg. (Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury.)

This modest decrease is certainly no replacement for medicines in people with high blood pressure. But researcher Karin Ried of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine and the University of Adelaide in Australia says that flavanol-rich cocoa may "complement other treatment options and might contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease."

She says it's hard to recommend an optimal dose of chocolate since there was such a large range in the trials. But she says smaller doses may be as effective as larger ones.

It's been known for a while that flavanols can contribute to the formation of nitric oxide in the body, which has the effect of relaxing blood vessel walls.

And interestingly, meditation and mindfulness practices have been shown to have the same effect — albeit stronger — lowering blood pressure by 10 to 30 mm Hg. Of course, physical exercise, too, can produce similar results.

Randall Zusman of Massachusetts General Hospital, who has researched the mindfulness-blood pressure connection, tells The Salt that he is not surprised by this new finding about dark chocolate and blood pressure.

As a physician treating patients with high blood pressure, he says he often finds himself "ruining" their dietary lives by restricting their salt and carbs. "I can sometimes redeem myself by suggesting a little chocolate!"

He recommends chocolate with high cocoa content.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/08/14/158761362/daily-dose-of-dark-chocolate-may-help-lower-blood-pressure

http://images1.mysupermarket.co.uk/Products_1000/66/012766.jpg?v=2

[CarnageCandy]

ive gone straight to the source - raw cacao / cocoa beans - taste funny - but ive noticed an improvement in the 2 weeks ive been eating them.
crumbled up in yogurt, you cant taste them tho xx

[chocolate]

Cocoa shortage, demand pushing up price of chocolate
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/12/24/chocolate-prices-soar-amid-cocoa-shortage/mUgxr5wdO1Ej8Xvi7HUeqL/story.html

~~~

Cocoa prices are soaring for several reasons, but one in particular is rising demand for darker chocolate, which takes more cocoa to make. The average chocolate bar consists of roughly 10% cocoa. Darker varieties can contain 70% or more. Dark chocolate now accounts for some 20% of the US chocolate market, and 30% of the Swiss chocolate market, according to Euromonitor (paywall).

A growing taste for chocolate in China is driving up cocoa prices, too. China’s chocolate sales have more than doubled over the past decade, a trend that’s projected to continue.

And indeed the whole world is eating more chocolate. Global chocolate sales are expected to increase by over 6% in 2014, and reach a record $117 billion, according to Euromonitor. Global cocoa production is expected to trail demand through at least 2018, which will put upward pressure on chocolate prices and mark the longest cocoa supply shortfall in over 50 years, according to Bloomberg.

http://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cocoa-futures-prices-futures-price-per-ton_chartbuilder-1.png?w=1024&h=576

Cocoa prices climbed almost 24% in 2013 alone. All the more reason to savor every bittersweet bite.
http://qz.com/171119/the-worlds-dark-chocolate-addiction-is-driving-up-the-price-of-chocolate/

[chocolate]

Reading along those lines, I have been thinking...

http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp8/prod/cacaomap.gif

Introduction Chocolate is a key ingredient in many foods such as milk shakes, candy bars, cookies and cereals. It is ranked as one of the most favourite flavours in North America and Europe (Swift, 1998). Despite its popularity, most people do not know the unique origins of this popular treat. Chocolate is a product that requires complex procedures to produce. The process involves harvesting coca, refining coca to cocoa beans, and shipping the cocoa beans to the manufacturing factory for cleaning, coaching and grinding. These cocoa beans will then be imported or exported to other countries and be transformed into different type of chocolate products (Allen, 1994).

Well below is the top ten list of those countries that are considered as the top cocoa producers in the world compromising the 90% of the world production of cocoa. So let’s have a look.

10. Togo

9. Malaysia

8. Dominican Republic

7. Ecuador

6. Brazil

5. Nigeria

[...]

1. Côte d’Ivoire

Read more here: http://www.mbaclubindia.com/forum/the-production-of-chocolate-6950.asp#.UymaeoR_iPo

[Cardillac]

@Craig

"Damn now the elite will find a way to take it away or Monsanto it's arse and remove the goodness"-

they already have- if my read sources are correct the Swiss chocolate manufacturers (they're the most renowned- but we shouldn't sneeze at Belgian chocolates + others) have been using genetically modified cocoa beans for quite some time now-

then look at the corporate logo of Lindt (leading Swiss company) on their packagings: if this isn't an illuminati family I'll eat my living room;

I LOVE chocolate; and just recently bought/ate several Lindt dark chocolate bars in various degrees of chocolate percentage (labeling- as if we can trust any labeling anymore)-

they all tasted like 'chocolatized' cardboard; not the flavor(s) of chocolate I knew in the past;

by the way, my life's partner is an Alsatian Frenchman who is an addicted 'chocoholic'; he eats 3/4 really fat bars of chocolate a day + cooks/ingests daily the rather fatty Alsatian cuisine but still remains beautifully slim (and he NEVER exercises) so I think all the bunk we've been told that chocolate/saturated fats make us fat is, well, complete bunk- but the saturated-fat Atkins diet (worked like a charm) is maybe the subject for another thread if this subject hasn't already been addressed on this forum-

please continue to stay well all-

Larry

[dim]

however, the huge amounts of phytic acid in cocoa is somehow always get ommited in such articles

[chocolate]

In the case of chocolate making us gain weight, that would be because of the high sugar content.
A lot of the chocolate with lower price contains a very low level of cocoa.

I certainly enjoy eating chocolate with up to 70% cocoa (labeled as natural or dark), but the higher the level of cocoa, the more bitter and chalky the chocolate, and I seem to avoid it.

I like a label that I find at a store around, Bellarom Rich Chocolate, and Cote D'or Noir.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M2gkX8JVL._SY300_.jpg
But despite my name here, I don't eat all that much choc. I like a bite or two. As with most other food.

And on many occasions, as said before me, I add a bit of yogurt to balance the taste, especially if my stomach gets upset from the cocoa + butter content.

[Cardillac]

@dim

"the huge amounts of phytic acid in cocoa is somehow always get ommited in such articles"- I'm completely ignorant of the concept re: phytic acid; never even heard of this term before; could you please explain?- would interest me- many thanks in advance-

Larry

[ThePythonicCow]

I certainly enjoy eating chocolate with up to 70% cocoa (labeled as natural or dark), but the higher the level of cocoa, the more bitter and chalky the chocolate, and I seem to avoid it.

I recommend Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Chips - same chocolate as their bars, at half the price per ounce:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R_WKyx6_Pyk/SxAYmWavO5I/AAAAAAAAAo0/0NXDv_gARL4/s320/ghirardelli+bittersweet.jpg
Yummy!

[dim]

'm completely ignorant of the concept re: phytic acid
Larry
Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient component of virtually every grain, nut or legume
its function is to bind itself with just about any metal in the organism like magnesium, calcium, or iron and take them out of the body.
It is actually the seed's natural fight back from being eaten, seeds want to sprout mostly, sometimes want to travel also but hardly want to get eaten.
And from all seeds guess which one has insane amounts of this acid, cocoa along with rice and almonds etc
see a chart here:

Cocoa powder
(http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/phytic-acid-in-nuts-seeds-cocoa-and-coconut.html)
that's why all seeds, grains, nuts and legumes must be soaked well enough before consumed
there's the argument that cocoa gets processed like roasting before it ends up like a chocolate
but is an ongoing research and i doubt there's a clear answer yet.

[Cardillac]

@dim

"that's why all seeds, grains, nuts and legumes must be soaked well enough before consumed"- until the stage of fermentation; as Jay Weidner (among a few others) have stated: our bodies were not conceived to eat grains unless they are first fermented (sort of leaves out pasta and breakfast oatmeal among many other things)- potatoes seem to be the only sane carbohydrate left...

Larry

[lelmaleh]

I love dark chocolate but recently have been getting headaches when I eat it. I eat only organic dark chocolate and if I have only a bite or two from certain brands I seem to be OK but don't know why this is happening. Seems very cruel...no chocolate!

[ThePythonicCow]

I love dark chocolate but recently have been getting headaches when I eat it. I eat only organic dark chocolate and if I have only a bite or two from certain brands I seem to be OK but don't know why this is happening. Seems very cruel...no chocolate!

Oh dear - that's sad news indeed.

:Cry: :cow: :Cry:

[Heartsong]

I may have it wrong, but don't the Mexicans cook with chocolate using it in mole? any cooks out there with recipes?

[Cardillac]

@lelmahleh

"I eat only organic dark chocolate"- chocolate is no longer organic hence (maybe) your headaches- I don't know where you reside; but at least here in Germany we've so far been spared genetically modified foods (or so we've been told- reality may be a bit different)-

of course all chocolate is enhanced by white, refined sugar- this is a given and we can't escape it- so what isn't already enhanced by refined white sugar?- maybe Manuka honey from New Zealand (maybe)?

be well-

Larry

[Shezbeth]

ive gone straight to the source - raw cacao / cocoa beans - taste funny - but ive noticed an improvement in the 2 weeks ive been eating them.
crumbled up in yogurt, you cant taste them tho xx

Agreed. Cacao nibs (optimal) or powder (close second) in its raw, unadultered form is suggested in numerous analyses to provide the most significant health benefits. My spouse and I grind our own nibs (coffee grinders work well) and I like to put powder in coffees and teas, and get a significant energetic/dispositional burst. Other methods prevail, but the less refined the cacao, the more significant the effects.

[TargeT]

I love dark chocolate but recently have been getting headaches when I eat it. I eat only organic dark chocolate and if I have only a bite or two from certain brands I seem to be OK but don't know why this is happening. Seems very cruel...no chocolate!

Oh dear - that's sad news indeed.

:Cry: :cow: :Cry:

it may be mycotoxins in the chocolate... try this:

I've been on a "bullet proof" kick lately... they do chocolate too ;)

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Powder-Front.png http://www.bulletproofexec.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Butter-Front.png

Have you been depriving yourself of chocolate because you’re trying to lose weight, feel better, and eat Bulletproof? Or maybe you’ve noticed that some expensive chocolate bars taste great but then you crash and feel jittery later. Or maybe you’ve had a lifelong love affair with dark chocolate like me.
Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder and Upgraded™ Cacao Butter are designed to be the highest quality chocolate products in existence. Where your chocolate comes from and how it’s created determine everything about how it will make you feel.
Eating dark chocolate has tons of benefits. People who eat high quality chocolate have lower markers of inflammation than those who eat regular chocolate.1 Studies indicate people who consume the highest amounts of dark chocolate are at least 53% more likely to experience enhanced cardiovascular health.2
But there are risks. All chocolate is produced by fermentation, and 80% of South American chocolate sampled recently had mold contamination.3 64% of the microbes that ferment chocolate create toxins called mycotoxins.4 These toxins, even at so-called “safe” levels approved for commodity chocolate, contribute to feelings of weakness, sickness, and lethargy.
For regular chocolate, the health benefits don’t outweigh the risks.
That’s why we made Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder and Upgraded™ Cacao Butter using an optimized process to create chocolate without the toxins that make chocolate such a common source of problems.
We start with rare, wild, hand-harvested South American cacao beans from a single small region at high elevation with rich volcanic soil. High elevations reduce the amount of mold in the environment. The trees are watered with pollution-free mountain stream water. We selected a heritage cacao species in the Arriba family from decades-old trees, some as old as 75 years. At no time do we use aggregators or wholesalers so there is no chance of low-quality hybrid species of cacao entering our supply chain. Experienced craftsmen harvest the ripe cacao pods and bring them to the nearby dedicated processing facility.
Unfermented chocolate is not edible, so we do ferment the chocolate. Our high altitude state of the art closed facility and single-source beans allow a short fermentation process with far less exposure to the types of toxic mold found in more humid African chocolate processing methods.
We maintain the delicate flavors and oils by quickly sun-drying the still-raw beans in mountain air. Then we grind the beans into a fine powder on custom artisan equipment dedicated exclusively to our chocolate. The beans are 100% organic, wild, kosher, and exceed fair trade standards (they’re also vegan, if you care).
Upgraded Chocolate processing keeps 86% more beneficial compounds
Most chocolate products are processed using alkalization, spray/gas drying, and harsh solvents. Harsh processing can decrease the beneficial compounds in chocolate powder by 86-89%.5
By gently harvesting the pods, keeping them raw, and using artisan equipment to crush the beans, Upgraded™ Chocolate products retain the antioxidant quality of chocolate all the way from the wilderness to your mouth.
The quality and flavor of chocolate is impacted by the fermentation and processing methods. Normally, there is very little control over what bacteria ferment the cocoa, which often produces unwanted flavors and bad batches.6
Upgraded™ Chocolate products avoid this problem by using a dedicated, closed, single-source facility at high altitude in South America with a short fermentation process. There are simply fewer opportunities for the bad molds to enter the process. We store the beans in a climate-controlled facility.
The way cocoa beans are stored has a large impact on the different kinds of mold and fungi present on the beans.7 Improper storage, which is common in commodity beans, increases fungi levels.8
Upgraded Chocolate Powder Upgraded Cacao Butter
1 lb. bag price: $24.95 1 lb. bag price: $24.95

Why you should care about mycotoxins in your chocolate
There is good reason to believe that much of the world’s chocolate supply is contaminated with high levels of mold toxins.
A study in Brazil found that 98% of the regular brands of powdered, bitter, dark, milk and white chocolate were contaminated with ochratoxin A. 80% of all samples were tainted with some form of mold toxin. Powdered, bitter, and dark chocolate was higher in mycotoxins than most other forms, with powdered chocolate having the most. They were all especially high in aflatoxin and ochratoxin.9
The problem starts because cacao trees are often infected with fungi and molds.10
Roasting moldy beans destroys almost all of the actual fungi, but it doesn’t destroy all of the toxins already produced by the fungi (if it did, I wouldn’t have needed to create Upgraded™ Chocolate!).11
Ochratoxin A in Chocolate:12
Powdered Chocolate = 0.39 micrograms per kilogram
Bitter Chocolate = 0.34 micrograms per kilogram
Dark Chocolate = 0.31 micrograms per kilogram.
Aflatoxin in Chocolate:12
Powdered Chocolate = 0.53
Bitter Chocolate = 0.66
Dark Chocolate = 0.43
The safe upper limit of ochratoxin A is around 4-5 ng/kg of body weight per day, although it can be as low as 0.2 ng/kg per day according to different estimates from animal research. Most sources also urge ochratoxin A exposure be reduced to the bare minimum.13 According to the USDA, no food for human consumption should have more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin.14 If a 150-pound person were to eat 60 grams of average chocolate contaminated with ochratoxin A, they would have consumed 15% of their total daily limit of ochratoxin A, and 26% of their total daily limit of aflatoxin.
Another study found processed cocoa to contain 48 ng/g of ochratoxin A.15 If a 150-pound person were to eat 60 grams of this highly contaminated chocolate, they would be consuming 42 times the safe upper limit of ochratoxin A.
All of these estimates are assuming you aren’t exposed to any other forms of mold during the day. Mold is found in all sorts of foods, and even in your environment, which is why it’s important to limit your exposure to mold as much as possible. These numbers are also based on the current “safe” upper limit of mold exposure, which isn’t necessarily a good standard for people who want to do everything possible to perform their best. The Bulletproof stance is to limit these toxins to the bare minimum.
The science is very clear: commodity cocoa beans processed in sub optimal conditions are often high in mold toxins. Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder and Cacao Butter use only the finest production methods to minimize mold and fungi formation to keep your mind and body sharp.
You may be wondering, “why not just eat milk chocolate and white chocolate if they’re lower in mycotoxins?” The answer is that they’re also devoid of almost any of chocolate’s health benefit, and they still have more toxins than Upgraded™ Chocolate products.
Why Upgraded Chocolate Powder is an amazing superfood
Inflammation is known to negatively affect our health in many aspects. Upgraded Chocolate Powder is packed with antioxidants and compounds that help reduce inflammation.
Cocoa has a greater antioxidant capacity than black tea, green tea, and red wine.16 Cocoa also has more antioxidants than “super-fruits” like Acai, pomegranate, and blueberry.17 When you eat dark chocolate, there is an immediate boost in your blood antioxidant levels.18 People who eat high quality chocolate are more likely to have less inflammation than those who eat regular chocolate.19 And, as mentioned above, people who consume the highest amounts of dark chocolate are far more likely to experience better cardiovascular health.2
Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder contains ingredients that when ingested may be a potent enough to help inflammation and resiliency.
How Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder Betters Heart Health
Your heart is one of the organs most affected by inflammation, and dark chocolate is just as good for heart health as it is for Valentine’s Day.
Consuming dark chocolate can help boost the body’s ability to reduce blood pressure.20 Studies show that eating dark chocolate can directly improve heart and vascular function.21 Properties in chocolate powders can work within the body to lower the amount of oxidized LDL cholesterol in blood.22 Dark chocolate can even help protect against some of the negative effects of smoking.23
Consuming Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder and other foods with high antioxidant content and low mycotoxin content can help boost the body’s ability to keep blood flowing healthfully so you can be and do more.
Upgraded Chocolate Powder Upgraded Cacao Butter
1 lb. bag price: $24.95 1 lb. bag price: $24.95

Why milk and white chocolate isn’t as good as Upgraded™ Chocolate
There is not, and never will be, a milk or white chocolate version of Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder. To get the benefits of chocolate, it needs to be a high quality dark variety. Milk and white chocolate are junk food.
In fact, milk and white chocolate cancels out some of the benefits of high quality chocolate powder. Consuming milk with chocolate or eating milk chocolate reduces the flavonoid absorption from the chocolate powder. This largely negates any benefit that you might get from eating dark chocolate.24
Compared to white chocolate, the properties of dark chocolate help with regulation of insulin, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol. It also helps with healthy blood flow.25 Milk and white chocolate are also high in sugar, which limits the safe amount you can eat.
White and milk chocolate are not Bulletproof, because they have no benefit and are high-risk foods.
Why cocoa fiber is good for your gut
Fiber is overrated, but your gut bacteria need to eat something. Fiber from wheat and other grains hurts your gut, but the right kind of fiber can be good for your gut bacteria.26
Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder has the kind of fiber that heals your gut. Rats that consume cocoa fiber have a reduction in blood pressure and achieve a healthier weight than rats not fed cocoa fiber.27 Consuming cocoa fiber improves bowel movements in people too.28 The soluble fiber in Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder feeds the good bacteria in your gut, which makes your entire body work better.
Is your chocolate making you dumb and infertile?
Lead (the metal) is a toxin that decreases brain function, damages your heart, and attacks your reproductive system.29 People who are exposed to lead at an early age have smaller brains than the average population.30
Believe it or not, much of the world’s cocoa supply is contaminated with lead. This contamination occurs mainly during shipment and processing where the cocoa is exposed to fumes from engines burning leaded gasoline.31
Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder is processed, stored, and packaged using extremely careful methods to eliminate the risk of lead and other heavy metal contamination. Our beans never see the inside of container ships in giant burlap bags the way commodity beans do. This ensures you can enjoy your chocolate without the risk of brain or sex organ damage.
https://www.bulletproofexec.com/chocolate/