Data published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry indicated that 30 grams per day of the dark chocolate for three weeks led to significant elevations in levels of a gut microbe called Blautia obeum, and levels of this bacterium were positively correlated with improved mood.
“It has consistently been reported that the microbiota of healthy controls are enriched in Blautia in comparison to those of patients with psychiatric disorders such as MDD, autism, and schizophrenia,” wrote researchers from Seoul National University, the Korea Food Research Institute, and Chungnam National University in South Korea.
“Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of inflammasome signaling in stressed animals increases Blautia spp. in a manner that is compatible with a rebalancing of the gut microbiota, indicating that Blautia could serve as a microbial target in the gut microbiota-brain axis in psychiatric disorders.”
Cocoa’s benefits
The study adds the growing body of science around the potential health benefits of cocoa. To date, most of this has revolved around potential cardiovascular benefits of the flavanols (also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins), and particularly the monomeric flavanol (-)epicatechin. Additional studies have reported potential benefits for skin health, and brain health.
There are also reports in the literature that cocoa-rich chocolate can improve measures of stress. For example, a 2009 study published in the Journal of Proteome Research indicated that consuming 40 g of dark chocolate per day for two weeks led to reductions in the stress hormone cortisol and catecholamines.