Dr Michael Mosley, who tragically died in 2024, once championed dark chocolate as a powerful health booster – recommending a small amount daily for heart health, metabolism and brain function. During a previous BBC Radio 4’s Just One Thing episode, he revealed that this specific variety of chocolate could work miracles for our well-being.
Disclosing the recommended portion, the expert explained that just two squares of dark chocolate daily could benefit your heart, metabolism, and brain. By adding these to your diet, instead of depending on a few squares of milk or white chocolate, you can lower your cardiovascular disease risk, boost your LDL cholesterol levels and improve blood circulation to the brain.
Dr Mosley said: “Some of the first excitement that cocoa could be good for you came from population studies related to the Guna people who live off the coast of Panama. Studies found that they were living long lives and unlike most of us, their blood pressure wasn’t going up with age. One theory was that they were drinking a lot of unsweetened cocoa, up to five cups a day.
He added: “Studies have revealed that the key element in cocoa seems to be a class of chemical compounds called flavonoids. They are present in many plant foods such as strawberries, tea, blueberries, apples and onions. But the bitter seeds of the cacao tree are one of the richest known sources of flavonoids. And luckily, you don’t have to eat those bitter seeds to get the benefits. Just chocolate with high cocoa content.”
If you’re questioning whether white or milk chocolate delivers the same benefits, sadly they do not. Whilst milk chocolate does contain some cocoa particles, it’s not enough to have the benefits of dark chocolate. The same goes for white chocolate, and in fact, it contains no particles at all.
During the podcast, Michael chatted with Professor Aedin Cassidy from Queen’s University Belfast, whose studies discovered that consuming dark chocolate rich in flavonoids daily could enhance blood vessel flexibility, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels in women with Type 2 Diabetes. Just do not exceed two squares daily as if you do this, it could elevate blood sugars and result in weight gain which can heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancelling out the beneficial effects.
Michael additionally suggested replacing your typical sugary treat with a square or two of the chocolate. Nevertheless, he warned: “Some companies use a technique called Dutch processing to remove the slightly bitter taste from cocoa and along with it, the flavonoids and their wide-ranging benefits. It is actually the flavonoids that give chocolate the bitter taste!
“So if you really want the maximum out of your chocolate treat, try –and look out for the unprocessed kind and embrace the bitter taste. If you aren’t used to the bitterness and don’t like it, you could always start with 40% cocoa content for a more balanced flavour, before working up to a higher percent.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
