Cocoa Positively Modulates The Gut Microbe And Lowers TLRs And Inflammation

[Hans]

The first study is in pigs, where as little as 2.5g of cocoa powder had a beneficial affect on gut microbes. The second study is in humans, and they used cocoa flavonol instead of just cocoa powder, but the dose is achievable with 20g of cocoa powder daily. The Bifidobacterium species inhibit the growth of other pathogenic bacteria and also inhibits endotoxins. This effect of cocoa should lower gut irritation and serotonin, fix mobility issues, reduce fatigue, improve liver health, digestion, nutrients absorption, etc.

From this study: Flavanol-Enriched Cocoa Powder Alters the Intestinal Microbiota, Tissue and Fluid Metabolite Profiles, and Intestinal Gene Expression in Pigs
"Pigs were fed 2070 kcal/d supplemented with cocoa powder and/or dextrin and cellulose so that all pigs had the same intake of fiber (Supplemental Table 1). The 0-, 2.5-, 10-, and 20-g dose of cocoa powder contained 0, 51, 205, and 410 mg flavanols, respectively"

The cocoa powder enhances the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, reduces TLR2, 4 and 9 and also lowers TNFa.

"Compared with the unsupplemented pigs, the abundance of Lactobacillus species was greater in the feces (7-fold, P = 0.005) and that of Bifidobacterium species was greater in the proximal colon contents (9-fold, P = 0.01) in pigs fed only 20 or 10 g cocoa powder/d, respectively. Moreover, consumption of cocoa powder reduced TLR9 gene expression in ileal Peyer’s patches (67–80%, P < 0.05) and mesenteric lymph nodes (43–71%, P < 0.05) of pigs fed 2.5–20 g cocoa powder/d compared with pigs not supplemented with cocoa powder."

"Moreover, studies have shown that an increased abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium can reduce bacterial pathogens by acidification of the intestinal contents (44), competition for receptors and adhesion molecules on epithelial cells (45), and production of antimicrobial compounds (46). Thus, the increase in cocoa-induced Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species would likely be associated with improved gut health."

From a human study: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/93/1/62/4597700

"Compared with the consumption of the LCF (low–cocoa flavanol (LCF) group (23 mg cocoa flavanols/d)) drink, the daily consumption of the HCF (high–cocoa flavanol group (494 mg cocoa flavanols/d)) drink for 4 wk significantly increased the bifidobacterial (P < 0.01) and lactobacilli (P < 0.001) populations but significantly decreased clostridia counts (P < 0.001). These microbial changes were paralleled by significant reductions in plasma triacylglycerol (P < 0.05) and C-reactive protein (P < 0.05) concentrations."

Bif: Bifidobacterium
Bac: Bacteroides
EC: Escherichia coli
Clos: Clostridium histolyticum
Lac: Lactobacillus and Enterococcus
Erec: Eubacteriumrectale–Clostridium coccoides group

"Because the intervention drinks were matched for fiber amounts and did not contain any recognized prebiotic materials, this suggests that these changes in bacterial growth were mediated by cocoa flavanols."

 

[charlie]

@Salmonamb does it again. Fantastic work!

Cocoa for the win, truly an amazing food.

 

[raypeatclips]

Amazing. Thanks for posting this @Salmonamb, worth the wait!

 

[Vinero]

Thank you for finding these studies. I have wondered a long time if dark chocolate consumption doesn't negatively impact my gut.
Seems like there is nothing to worry about.

 

[Hans]

Thank you for finding these studies. I have wondered a long time if dark chocolate consumption doesn't negatively impact my gut.
Seems like there is nothing to worry about.

I guess anyone can be sensitive to something, even though studies show the opposite.
Other things like herbicides and pesticides would be a concern as they affect the gut microbe very negatively. Also impurities and heavy metals in a product is always a concern.
But based on the studies I've seen, cocoa is just awesome.

 

[Broken man]

I am eating one bar of 70-90% chocolate every day for almost 1 month now. I lost 10 kg of weight, especially my belly and face. I did it because of stearic acid content but I found that I can eat only pure chocolate without additives like lecithin ( I read that lecithin increases fermentation.) I dont know if my improvements are due to chocolate because I did more changes but I like it and will do it next few months. Thank you for this study.

 

[Aymen]

I am eating one bar of 70-90% chocolate every day for almost 1 month now. I lost 10 kg of weight, especially my belly and face. I did it because of stearic acid content but I found that I can eat only pure chocolate without additives like lecithin ( I read that lecithin increases fermentation.) I dont know if my improvements are due to chocolate because I did more changes but I like it and will do it next few months. Thank you for this study.

yes stearic acid is high in dark chocolates , i wonder if cocoa beans contains phytic acid or not ?

 

[Hans]

yes stearic acid is high in dark chocolates , i wonder if cocoa beans contains phytic acid or not ?

It does contain phytic acid yes, and apparently roasting reduces it. I have however not found a study that shows the absorption of nutrients from cocoa powder.

 

[Aymen]

It does contain phytic acid yes, and apparently roasting reduces it. I have however not found a study that shows the absorption of nutrients from cocoa powder.

yes roasting reduces phytic acid , but i found that oxalates occuring in Cocoa products reduces calcium absorption so when i eat dark chocolate i eat it alone as a small meal .
Oxalate content of foods and its effect on humans. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Nighteyes]

yes roasting reduces phytic acid , but i found that oxalates occuring in Cocoa products reduces calcium absorption so when i eat dark chocolate i eat it alone as a small meal .
Oxalate content of foods and its effect on humans. - PubMed - NCBI

Well actually wouldnt it be better to have the chocolate with some source of calcium to bind some of the oxalates?

 

[raypeatclips]

Well actually wouldnt it be better to have the chocolate with some source of calcium to bind some of the oxalates?

Yes this seems to be what Chris masterjohn says about oxalates I believe, extra calcium with it to prevent issues.

 

[nwo2012]

So chocolate milk made with the recipe provided by @theLaw (borrowed from another member) is a win.

Will share it again because I can confirm via my very fussy daughter that it tastes great!

ct
theLawMember
Made the following recipe posted from another member, and can confirm that once it sets-up, it basically Hershey's:

+ 1C Cocoa Powder
+ 1C Sugar
+ 1.5C water
few drops vanilla

mix on medium heat until bubbling (for one minute) - then let sit in fridge - done!!!

 

[Elephanto]

Well actually wouldnt it be better to have the chocolate with some source of calcium to bind some of the oxalates?

Calcium Oxalate causes kidney stones, I mean that's literally what kidney stones are. And yeah, cocoa powder is of the most important sources of dietary oxalate.

Also the flavanols in cocoa increase nitric oxide :
Cocoa flavanols: effects on vascular nitric oxide and blood pressure

Effect of dark chocolate on nitric oxide serum levels and blood pressure in prehypertension subjects. - PubMed - NCBI

After 15 days treatment, NO serum level between treatment and control groups were significantly different 7.70 ± 3.84 vs 1.92(-0.79 ± 17.78) (p=0.001).

4 times higher NO levels here, pretty drastic.

Anything that increases nitric oxide tends to have a negative effect on hair in my experience.

 

[Hans]

Calcium Oxalate causes kidney stones, I mean that's literally what kidney stones are. And yeah, cocoa powder is of the most important sources of dietary oxalate.

Also the flavanols in cocoa increase nitric oxide :
Cocoa flavanols: effects on vascular nitric oxide and blood pressure

Effect of dark chocolate on nitric oxide serum levels and blood pressure in prehypertension subjects. - PubMed - NCBI

4 times higher NO levels here, pretty drastic.

Anything that increases nitric oxide tends to have a negative effect on hair in my experience.

I'm pretty sure eating cocoa powder will not cause baldness, despite the fact that it increases NO. Cocoa lowers inflammation and endotoxins, lowers blood pressure, increases circulation, improves insulin signaling and prevents cardiovascular disease, etc, etc, etc.
The Kuna Indians of the San Blas islands of Panama consume an average of three 10-ounce cups of cocoa beverage daily, ingesting approximately 1880 mg of procyanidins. And I'm pretty sure they aren't bald.
Cocoa also lowers many factors associated with baldness.

 

[YourUniverse]

Been addicted to morning coffee + cocoa powder + honey. Its decadent, delicious, and gives a unique boost. Sweet.

 

[Elephanto]

I'm pretty sure eating cocoa powder will not cause baldness, despite the fact that it increases NO. Cocoa lowers inflammation and endotoxins, lowers blood pressure, increases circulation, improves insulin signaling and prevents cardiovascular disease, etc, etc, etc.
The Kuna Indians of the San Blas islands of Panama consume an average of three 10-ounce cups of cocoa beverage daily, ingesting approximately 1880 mg of procyanidins. And I'm pretty sure they aren't bald.
Cocoa also lowers many factors associated with baldness.

One thing alone no, it's usually an accumulation of factors that promotes it. But raising Nitric Oxide 4-fold, being a source of lactic acid and of oxalate (for general health alone this should be avoided), inducing calcification, I'd say it's much more likely to have a promoting effect than a protective one. In my experience, chocolate and theanine (another Nitric Oxide-raising agent) have a subtle negative effect on my hair (granted I stopped taking them every time I noticed it). Someone who has never had hair loss probably won't see a difference, it is when one's balance is further away from the protective end that small actions can have a noticeable impact. Anyway, it's just a cautionary advice, if people start noticing worse hair fullness/more shedding and can't isolate what is causing it, then perhaps it was this new dietary addition.

Also, I'm not sure that this study shows an entirely beneficial effect. It increases by 7-9 folds the presence of lactic acid-producing bacterias, seems like it could be an important contributor to systemic lactic acid. The high flavanol group also showed almost twice as much E. Coli.

If gut acidity is the main factor protecting from pathogenic growth and endotoxins, shouldn't fixing hypothyroidism, high serotonin and agents like a simple vinegar or dopaminergic substances (that do not raise nitric oxide, lactic acid and are among the highest sources of oxalates), be safer solutions than raising systemic lactic acid ?

 

[Elephanto]

A study conducted in Utah between 1983 and 1986, and published in 1993, showed a possible association between theobromine and an increased risk of suffering from prostate cancer in older men.

Compared with men with very low levels of theobromine intake, older men consuming 11 to 20 and over 20 mg of theobromine per day were at increased risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio [OR] for all tumors = 2.06, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.33-3.20, and OR=1.47, CI=0.99-2.19, respectively; OR for aggressive tumors = 1.90, CI=0.90-3.97, and OR=1.74, CI=0.91-3.32, respectively). We present biological mechanisms for a possible association between prostate cancer and theobromine. This finding needs further exploration in studies with a wider range of theobromine exposures and more men with aggressive tumors.

Smoking, alcohol, coffee, tea, caffeine, and theobromine: risk of prostate cancer in Utah (United States)

Apparently it didn't lower enough factors associated with prostate cancer, and baldness is highly correlated with increased risks of prostate cancer since it shares many mechanisms. (IGFBP3, estrogen, nitric oxide)

 

[Hans]

Calcium Oxalate causes kidney stones, I mean that's literally what kidney stones are. And yeah, cocoa powder is of the most important sources of dietary oxalate.

Also the flavanols in cocoa increase nitric oxide :
Cocoa flavanols: effects on vascular nitric oxide and blood pressure

Effect of dark chocolate on nitric oxide serum levels and blood pressure in prehypertension subjects. - PubMed - NCBI

4 times higher NO levels here, pretty drastic.

Anything that increases nitric oxide tends to have a negative effect on hair in my experience.

From: Reference values for serum nitric oxide metabolites in an adult population. - PubMed - NCBI

"The 95% reference values for serum NO(x) concentration and serum NO(x)/creatinine ratio were 11.5 to 76.4 micromol/L and 0.111 to 0.729 in men."​

So although cocoa increased nitric oxide 4 fold, it increased it only to 7.7. The study I just showed measured NO levels in a healthy population, and their serum nitric oxide levels were around 11. So as you can see, the cocoa group still had below normal levels of NO. Cocoa was just restoring NO levels, not sky rocketing it past normal.

oxalate (for general health alone this should be avoided), inducing calcification

Only if the body is defective and cannot get rid of it fast enough. And few people eat 100g+ of cocoa a day, but rather like 20gs and less.

Also, I'm not sure that this study shows an entirely beneficial effect. It increases by 7-9 folds the presence of lactic acid-producing bacterias, seems like it could be an important contributor to systemic lactic acid.

Not all Lactobacillus produce the same amount of lactic acid and they are not the only lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Other LAB include lactococci, enterococci, streptococci, leuconostoc, and pediococci. We don't know which of the lactobacillus species were the most elevated, so we can't say they had significantly higher lactic acid than the other group. Lactobacillus species have many benefits such as protection against pathogen infection, create CO2, digest starch particles (Lactobacillus plantarum), increase anti-inflammatory IL-10 (Lactobacillus salivarius) and they are gram positive bacteria, so they cannot produce endotoxins.
Lactic acid bacteria contribution to gut microbiota complexity: lights and shadows

"Histamine and tyramine are LAB (lactic acid bacteria) bioactive catabolites that act on the CNS, causing hypertension and allergies."​

"some LAB biosynthesize both gamma-amino-butyrate (GABA), that has relaxing effect on gut smooth muscles, and beta-phenylethylamine, that controls satiety and mood."​

"LAB can produce molecules of interest among which the most interesting are exopolysaccharides (EPS) and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), short chain fatty acids (SCFA), conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), and selenoproteins"​

"LAB can also biosynthesize CLA"​

"The presence of LAB, that are prevalently saccharolytic, acidogenic and bacteriocin producers, acts as a selective agent, protecting the gut environment from putrefactive and sulphate-reducing bacteria known to be involved in the production of gas, thiols, phenols, indole, histolesive proteases, and carcinogens"​

"a “meat-fat” rich diet contributes to select and expand Clostridia in the adult while a non-metabolizable sugar diet (especially fructose-, inuline-, and cellulose-rich nutrients that escape regular digestion in the human body) favors LAB."​

So basically, if you eat a normal diet with veggies and fruits, you'll get an increase in Lactobacillus. You don't need cocoa for that.

"L. johnsonii GroEL also induces a strong aggregation of the pathogen Helicobacter pylori, contributing to decrease of the bacterial load and thus facilitating clearance of the aggregated pathogens by the mucus"​

"Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has also been successfully employed for preventing C. difficile colitis, as well as to treat atopic eczema by means of modulation over Interleukin-10"​

"Rhamnose Hetero-EPS proved to be effective against gastric ulcer ... cocktails of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium also revealed the ability to cause apoptosis of colon carcinomas."​

"Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus SS1, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris FT4 can all modulate blood pressure by producing angiotensin 1-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides (ACE inhibitors) from milk proteins."​

And I agree with the final statement in the study: "LAB, like every organism on this earth, are not perfect"

The high flavanol group also showed almost twice as much E. Coli.

Are you saying it would become a problem over time from cocoa flavonol consumption instead of cocoa powder?

If gut acidity is the main factor protecting from pathogenic growth and endotoxins, shouldn't fixing hypothyroidism, high serotonin and agents like a simple vinegar or dopaminergic substances (that do not raise nitric oxide, lactic acid and are among the highest sources of oxalates), be safer solutions than raising systemic lactic acid ?

Peat said that everything could be dangerous when hypothyroid, so it would always be a good idea to improve thyroid function. Yes lowering serotonin would be a great idea. Cocoa helps with that too by lowering endotoxins, TLR expression and inflammation. All kinds of SCFAs increase serotonin in the gut, so vinegar would do that too. Eating food in general will affect the gut microbes in some way and produce endotoxins, lactic acid, serotonin, nitric oxide, etc. I think cocoa is a very safe food and we do not know if cocoa raises systemic lactic acid or not, which I doubt. Maybe in a compromised individual.

Smoking, alcohol, coffee, tea, caffeine, and theobromine: risk of prostate cancer in Utah (United States)

Apparently it didn't lower enough factors associated with prostate cancer, and baldness is highly correlated with increased risks of prostate cancer since it shares many mechanisms. (IGFBP3, estrogen, nitric oxide)

They never mentioned cocoa in the study.

if people start noticing worse hair fullness/more shedding and can't isolate what is causing it, then perhaps it was this new dietary addition.

Since when is it new? Are you implying I'm telling/convincing people to eat cocoa. I think if someone craves cocoa, let them eat it because their body wants something in the cocoa that would be beneficial to them. But if they don't want to eat cocoa, I'm definitely not forcing them or trying to convince anyone. Everyone can make up their own minds.

 

[raypeatclips]

@Salmonamb based on your research, what do you think would be best sort of diet for healthy guts and gut bacteria? Some cocoa, some vinegar, any starches, saturated fats etc?

 

[Hans]

@Salmonamb based on your research, what do you think would be best sort of diet for healthy guts and gut bacteria? Some cocoa, some vinegar, any starches, saturated fats etc?

It all comes down to the individual. It's important to find what foods are affecting you negatively and then avoid those. Then it would be a good idea to meet all you micros, avoid pesticides and herbicides and live a good stress free life. So basically a peat diet, minus foods that affect you negatively and then as little stress as possible. I think regular cocoa and vinegar would be a great addition. I don't have any specific recommendations, because everyone is different and it would not be necessary to start using anti-microbial substances such as anti-biotics if there isn't a problem. Regular peat approved foods, such as coconut oil, MCT oil, vinegar, cocoa, milk, glycine, etc., should do a good job at balancing and keeping gut bacteria low; preventing an uprising so to speak.