Hernán Cortés already said it: a cup of this indigenous drink gives enough strength to a soldier for a whole day of marching; although then it was not considered, as it is today, a superfood. But do you think this nickname is enough to allow you to eat tons? Don't even dream of it, if it goes too far, it will cause a mismatch in the scale and even some disorder in the body.
Chocolate has a higher amount of antioxidants than most fruits. And that is why it protects the heart, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, through a drop in blood pressure. It also stimulates the production of nitric oxide and improves the lipid profile, increasing HDL and reducing LDL oxidation.
“Its load of antioxidants can prevent cardiovascular diseases, improve mood and enhance memory. It contains flavonoids, theobromine, catechins, fiber, polyphenols, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E and B and minerals”, says Paula Rosso, master in nutrition and director of the Corporal department of the Lajo Plaza Center. "It also contains large amounts of magnesium, iron and calcium, as well as beta-carotene and niacin," continues José María Escudero, nutritionist, from S&O Clinics. For her part, Inmaculada Canterla, a pharmacy graduate, specialist in Nutrition and Dietetics and director of the Cosmeceutical Center, adds that it has "quite reasonable levels of copper, manganese and fiber."
read the label
Many tablets are more of a treat than a food, negating much of the benefits just reviewed. If you do not want this gift from the gods to become a punishment from the devil, take into account its percentage of cocoa, more than 70%, and its sugar content, as well as avoiding those that contain nuts because they increase even more their caloric content, as recommended by Paula Rosso. José María Escudero and Inmaculada Canterla prefer that the added sweetness be stevia, and Dr. Mar Mira, a specialist in aesthetic medicine and co-director of the M+C Corporal Clinic warns us that "if you find a chocolate that uses the acronym MGV in the list of ingredients, means that they have added vegetable fats other than cocoa butter, in a proportion of up to 5%".
So many properties seem to suggest that we can drink chocolate relentlessly. Per capita consumption in Spain is more than three kilos of chocolate a year, with the Spaniards from Cantabria, La Rioja and the Basques having the sweetest tooth, compared to the inhabitants of Catalonia, Andalusia and Madrid, who are the regions where the least consumes, according to a Mercasa study. But no, it is not possible to eat everything we want. Experts like Paula Rosso say that “the ideal is 1 or 2 ounces a day; although there are medical studies on cerebrovascular accidents, in which women who drank about 20 ounces a week reduced this risk by 20%. With food, you have to be moderate to obtain the benefits and avoid the harm of excessive consumption, such as increased calories (100 g of dark chocolate is equivalent to about 540 calories, which represents almost a quarter of the daily calories that we should consume) and of saturated fats”.
“The fact that a food has one or several well-defined and documented functional properties does not open the ban on its free consumption; the benefits that provide adequate doses, may lead to side effects when an excess is committed. It should be taken as a daily treat, in amounts between 20-40 grams of 90% dark chocolate daily," explains Inmaculada Canterla, adding that there are many studies that support the benefits of moderate consumption of chocolate.
But following this recommendation is not so easy, because it has an addictive component. "Chocolate contains tryptophan, which is a precursor of serotonin (happiness hormone) and the decrease in this precursor can cause withdrawal when its consumption is excessive," warns Dr. Rosso. In our brain we have a small cluster of cells responsible for provide us with pleasure." This is where the greatest amount of stored dopamine is found and it is sensitive to other neurotransmitters of pleasure, such as serotonin and endorphins. Stimulant drugs, amphetamines or cocaine, achieve their pleasurable effect by changing the concentration of dopamine in this cell cluster. Other substances such as marijuana, chocolate, nicotine and caffeine can stimulate dopamine levels”, explains José María Escudero.
“Chocolate contains a certain amount of caffeine and theobromine, addictive substances. Therefore, controlling the daily amounts prevents us from falling into addiction. The ideal is to take chocolate as a whim, not as a vice”, insists Dr. Canterla. But is it possible to unhook? “For this, a dietary reeducation is necessary, limiting consumption to a couple of ounces a day, gradually increasing the cocoa content and trying to substitute foods that contain tryptophan such as bananas, strawberries, mango or dairy products, who are also rich in it”, recommends Paula Rosso.
Experts seem to recommend only dark chocolate. But what about milk chocolate? "It has a higher percentage of saturated fats and sugars, one of the combinations of artificial substances that produce more brain reactions. In addition, excessive consumption of sweets increases the desire to consume fats," argues José María Escudero. "The functional properties are It has cocoa. Anything that means lowering the cocoa content to 90% is reducing concentrations of functional nutrients and providing other types of substances that, obviously, are not going to be as good as what we are cutting. If what we are adding is fat and other types of hydrates, we will no longer have a superfood. Milk is not the problem, the problem is that it is not 90% cocoa, and that is why we cannot benefit from its properties," explains Inmaculada Canterla.
As for children, Paula Rosso advises that they take small amounts because it can be exciting for them. "It is not recommended to introduce chocolate in the diet of children until 18-20 months," warns José María Escudero. However, Inmaculada Canterla doubts: “The issue of children is very delicate. If chocolate has beneficial properties for the elderly, it also has them for the little ones, but it must be taken into account that their metabolisms are in full development. It should be 'rewarded' with chocolate and not routinely given. This stimulates the child and also benefits from its properties."
There are also people for whom the consumption of this food is not recommended, such as those who have liver or gallbladder problems. "In patients with fatty liver, the consumption of a caloric food with a high fat content, such as chocolate, could have negative effects," explains José María Escudero. "Chocolate requires hepatobiliary metabolism, so a diseased liver or gallbladder will avoid its consumption so as not to cause digestive disorders," adds Paula Rosso. For her part, Inmaculada Canterla warns that the excess of low-quality chocolate and the precedent of some previous liver pathology can cause liver problems that pure chocolate is capable of preventing. In conclusion, if your liver is healthy, it prevents you from getting sick, but if it is already sick, it harms you.
Those who have migraines can also find an enemy in chocolate. "Cocoa and chocolates contain appreciable amounts of tyramine, histamine and phenylethylamine which, in certain people, are related to the appearance of migraine episodes, especially if they are undergoing treatment for depression, since many of the antidepressant drugs inhibit monoamine oxidases (MAO) and diamine oxidases (DAO), enzymes necessary to eliminate histamines from the body, and which are the main cause of these migraine episodes," reports Jose María Escudero.