Cacoa Extends Lifespan And Keeps Dopamine High

[DaveFoster]

So the takeaway from this seems to be to avoid cacao for regular use due to its bromocriptine content, which possesses serotonergic effects on heart muscle and leads to cardiac fibrosis.

 

[Vinero]

That is exactly my experience with dark chocolate. Get very upbeat and happy when I eat a lot of it, but after 5 hours or so it's hard on the intestines. It also seems to constrict my pupils for some reason and when I drink any alcohol this effect is amplified.

 

[Strongbad]

That is exactly my experience with dark chocolate. Get very upbeat and happy when I eat a lot of it, but after 5 hours or so it's hard on the intestines. It also seems to constrict my pupils for some reason and when I drink any alcohol this effect is amplified.

When you said "hard on intestines" how do you describe the symptoms? Constipation? Stomach cramp?

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I know there are many more factors involved in health and longevity, but I always enjoy looking at the lifestyles of supercentarians.
You may find it interesting that Jeanne Louise Calment lived to 121 and ate nearly two pounds of chocolate a week! She lived in France so I'm assuming her chocolate options were infinitely better than ours!

Philomath your signature is funny and clever. May I ask who you are quoting? Thanks!

 

[Nicholas]

there's also the copper variable...which cacao is high in. needs to balance with zinc. chocolate is worth enjoying and not worrying about - but copper excess could be a real problem, too. i didn't eat chocolate for 2 months and ate an entire box of truffles over the weekend, so i probably shouldn't be talking.

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I've taken cacao for years. Mostly the nibs, but recently I have buying the powder (as it goes more easily into milk). I have to say though, that the quality in powdered cacao varies greatly. If you go onto David Wolfe's website, the cacao they get is supposed to be the best you can get (but shipping to the Uk is not financially viable).

Anyway, I guess I've had more success with the nibs than the powder (although come across one or two good powdered ones). I've even purchased the beans, and you can just crunch straight into them. I know they advise not to do that, in case of mold or whatever, but the outer shell is also edible in my experience.

Another thing I have to add though, is about the subjective effects. For the first year, I experienced very profound euphoria from cacao. It made me feel a million bucks. Definitely cognitively enhancing, gave me loads of energy, appetite suppressive too (interestingly) and my mood was fantastic. For a whole year I didn't go near pharmaceutical drugs to try and manage my depressive symptons. But tolerance does set in. The second year was like a watered down version of the first year (still great), and from the third year onwards (been taking it for about 6 years) I now notice nothing at all from it (I have tried a lot of different brands) - even if I down many tablespoons at a time.

But cacao, to me, is still real tasty and I guess it is mildly stimulating (sort of). Coffee is far more stimulating, for me (with mild euphoria, too). Coffee is pretty amazing. Coffee warms me up significantly. I have never grown tolerant to coffee.

So yeah, I still take cacao for the taste and it is very mildy pleasurable (although, nothing like the old days), even if the nootropic effects have all but dissapeared. And it still has good magnesium, antioxidants, etc.

An interesting find about the bromocriptine, but I doubt it is in very significant amounts (if at all noticable). It's a bit like mucuna, which contains very, very tiny trace amounts of hallucinogenic tryptamines. But not enough to cause any effects that are noticable. If cacao had significant amounts of bromocriptine, it would be known as a potent prolactin suppressor but also, bromocriptine is a drug which is well known for its issues with heart valve damage (as are a lot of D2 agonists), due to its 5HT2B agonism.

Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I have three reasons for avoiding chocolate...

1. High in oxalates
2. Ray states it is high in iron
3. Very high in arginine, and arginine is a lysine antagonist. The website www.tendler5.wix.com/highlysinediet explains it all.

 

[FredSonoma]

Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I have three reasons for avoiding chocolate...

1. High in oxalates
2. Ray states it is high in iron
3. Very high in l-arginine, and l-arginine is a l-lysine antagonist. My website www.tendler5.wix.com/highlysinediet explains it all.

I definitely believe it could be high in iron - it gives me the same stomach feeling as drinking orange juice with iron - rich meats.

Would this mean that it might be bad to eat chocolate at night, as it could keep you up the same way most things that increase dopamine would? Or would it keep you up for other reasons?

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I definitely believe it could be high in iron - it gives me the same stomach feeling as drinking orange juice with iron - rich meats.

Would this mean that it might be bad to eat chocolate at night, as it could keep you up the same way most things that increase dopamine would? Or would it keep you up for other reasons?

It definitely can keep me up too, and that's from the stimulant theobromine that cacao contains. As far as it being related to the fact that it increases dopamine, sorry, I don't know.

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

That is exactly my experience with dark chocolate. Get very upbeat and happy when I eat a lot of it, but after 5 hours or so it's hard on the intestines. It also seems to constrict my pupils for some reason and when I drink any alcohol this effect is amplified.

How does one know that their pupils are constricted? Blurred vision? Darkened vision?

 

[tastyfood]

Do you guys have a preferred brand of cacao powder? If you were to buy chocolate squares or bars, what would you look out for?

 

[FredSonoma]

That is exactly my experience with dark chocolate. Get very upbeat and happy when I eat a lot of it, but after 5 hours or so it's hard on the intestines. It also seems to constrict my pupils for some reason and when I drink any alcohol this effect is amplified.

I eat a lot lot lot of cocoa powder in the form of homemade chocolate milk, and I have recently noticed that my pupils seem to be perpetually constricted. I'm not sure if it's a "good" thing or not (as in, a sign of good health or something that makes me appear healthy to other people)

 

[Philomath]

Philomath your signature is funny and clever. May I ask who you are quoting? Thanks!

I believe It may be attributed to the comedian Ted Alexandro. However, I see it all over the web in unattributed formats so I'm not sure. His line originally used coffee and wine but chocolate suited me more so I changed it.

 

[ecstatichamster]

Definitely theobromine not Bromocriptine

Also has theophylline. And caffeine.

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I believe It may be attributed to the comedian Ted Alexandro. However, I see it all over the web in unattributed formats so I'm not sure. His line originally used coffee and wine but chocolate suited me more so I changed it.

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I believe It may be attributed to the comedian Ted Alexandro. However, I see it all over the web in unattributed formats so I'm not sure. His line originally used coffee and wine but chocolate suited me more so I changed it.

Thanks Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man!

 

[Aleeri]

So the takeaway from this seems to be to avoid cacao for regular use due to its bromocriptine content, which possesses serotonergic effects on heart muscle and leads to cardiac fibrosis.

This makes no sense, cacao is one of the foods/supplements with the strongest evidence for cardiovascular health benefits but you want to write it off because you think it has a negative effect?

 

[DaveFoster]

This makes no sense, cacao is one of the foods/supplements with the strongest evidence for cardiovascular health benefits but you want to write it off because you think it has a negative effect?

Disregard my previous autistic musings.

 

[Aleeri]

Disregard my previous autistic musings.

Haha ok thanks, I thought I was missing some vital information here :P

 

[ddjd]

Ray wrote that cacao has bromocriptine, which I have not been able to verify, but there is a study that backs up his claim.

http://peatarian.com/peatexchanges

"...Caffeine increases your metabolic rate, so it's important to take it with food, including enough sugar. Coffee and cocoa are very good magnesium sources. Cocoa contains both bromocriptine and caffeine, bromocriptine seems to be more stimulating to the heart than to the brain."

When rats were given 24mg/kg of cacao powder daily, they lived 11% longer, brain function was the same as that of young rats, and their dopamine levels were also as high as the ones of young rats. The human equivalent dosage of 24mg/kg is about 300mg, which is not high at all and is achievable with a single ounce of chocolate. So, it seems Ray may be on to something with his claim that cacao contains bromocriptine.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18179729

"...We examined whether 1-year administration of a cocoa polyphenolic extract (Acticoa powder), orally delivered at the dose of 24 mg/kg per d between 15 and 27 months of age, affects the onset of age-related cognitive deficits, urinary free dopamine levels and lifespan in old Wistar-Unilever rats. Acticoa powder improved cognitive performances in light extinction and water maze paradigms, increased lifespan and preserved high urinary free dopamine levels. These results suggest that Acticoa powder may be beneficial in retarding age-related brain impairments, including cognitive deficits in normal ageing and perhaps neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms of cocoa polyphenols in neuroprotection and to explore their effects in man."

I read that the epicatichans in cacao raise nitric oxide

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022066/

 

[ddjd]

This makes no sense, cacao is one of the foods/supplements with the strongest evidence for cardiovascular health benefits but you want to write it off because you think it has a negative effect?

doesnt cacao increase NO massively?