Researchers in South Korea say they have found that regular consumption of 85% dark chocolate can have a positive effect on mood. According to them, the ideal would be to consume it three times a day. However, the small sample of volunteers who participated in the study suggests that further work would be needed to confirm these results.
Very many people like to eat chocolate. In 2017, we even asked ourselves the question of whether it was possible to become dependent on this consumption. It must be said that it is a slight stimulant that promotes the stimulation of the reward circuits of the brain.
While various scientific research concerns chocolate, among other things, there is the question of its possible effects on well-being. In a study to be published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in January 2022, scientists from the University of Seoul (South Korea) have precisely addressed this subject. According to them, consume 30 g of 85% dark chocolate daily would have a positive influence on mood.
According to these researchers, their study is the first to provide evidence that the consumption of dark chocolate in daily life influences physiological and psychological states . First, they analyzed the stools of the participants in order to learn more about their intestinal microbiota. According to the results, the microbial diversity in the intestines was greater in chocolate consumers at 85%.
Study reports levels of Blautia obeum higher and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii levels more reduced among consumers of 85% dark chocolate. For scientists, it would therefore have real prebiotic effects . By restructuring the diversity and abundance of intestinal bacteria, it would thus be able to improve emotional states. However, this is not the case for chocolate products with a cocoa content of less than 85%. Also, these observations do not work with milk chocolate, white chocolate and other sweets that contain them.
Finally, if this study can serve as an indicator, it cannot be sufficient on its own. Indeed, a small sample of volunteers participated in the study (only 46 participants). Further work would therefore be necessary to formally confirm that it can improve the well-being of its consumers.
