Recently published research from Penn State University suggests that adding a solid dose of cocoa powder to your daily diet can help improve health factors associated with obesity. According to the researchers, the results may also apply to mice, but according to the researchers, the results may also apply to humans.
Cocoa is, of course, the main ingredient in chocolate, although chocolate tends to add other ingredients that are best consumed in limited quantities, including fat and sugar. This new study focused on cocoa powder, not chocolate, which was fed to mice on a high-fat diet. The rodents had non-alcoholic liver disease.
The cocoa powder, dosed at about 10 tablespoons per human, has been linked to noticeable health improvements in mice, including a lower weight gain of 21 percent compared to mice that did not receive the cocoa powder.
The cocoa-fed mice also had 28 percent less liver fat, 56 percent lower oxidative stress levels, smaller spleen weights and 75 percent lower DNA damage to the liver. The exact reason why cocoa may have this impact is not clear, but it may be due to the different compounds found in chocolate, and their potential ability to prevent fat digestion.
The researchers warn that overweight people should not take 10 tablespoons of cocoa powder daily in hopes of achieving these benefits. However, the team suggests that it may be helpful to include cocoa in your diet, such as replacing it as snacks.