Dark Chocolate Benefits Gut Health and Metabolism

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on February 28, 2010

© Chocolate Reviews

Daily consumption of 40 grams of dark chocolate significantly changed a person's metabolism and the metabolism of the gut microflora.

Such were the findings of scientists from the Nestlé Research Center (NRC), BASF and Berlin-based Metanomics GmbH.

"The daily consumption of dark chocolate resulted in a significant modification of the metabolism of healthy and free living human volunteers with potential long-term consequences on human health within only 2 weeks treatment.

This was observable through the reduction of levels of stress-associated hormones and normalization of the systemic stress metabolic signatures.

Therefore, subtle changes in dietary habits are likely to modulate the metabolic status of free-living individuals that might be associated with long- term health consequences, in particular via the activity of the symbiotic bacterial partners."

I surely hope this isn't another way of promoting Nestlé products.