A new study by scientists at Seoul National University, Korea Food Research Institute, and Zhongnan National University shows that dark chocolate has a prebiotic effect by reconstructing the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota, which is the intestinal brain. It suggests that it may improve mood through the axis.
Shin et al.. It provides evidence that the consumption of dark chocolate in daily life affects the physiological and psychological state. Image credit: Sci-News.com.
“Mood disorders are a major cause of disability in the world,” said Dr. Ji-hee Singh and colleagues, researchers at the Department of Food and Nutrition at Seoul National University and the Healthcare Research Group at the Korean Food Research Institute.
“Disturbances in a person impede an individual’s ability to participate in well-being and social interactions, leading to physical health problems such as chronic illness.”
“Symptoms of mood disorders include persistent sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, and irritability. These disorders are primarily treated with drugs that manipulate the monoaminergic neurotransmitter system in the brain. . “
“The role of diet as a mood regulator is of great interest,” the researchers added.
“Certain dietary ingredients have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and improve quality of life, especially for cocoa products such as dark chocolate, which can affect mood. Contains nutritional ingredients. “
“Several studies have reported the health benefits of dark chocolate intake, especially the effects of polyphenols on mood.”
“We aimed to test the hypothesis that dark chocolate has a beneficial effect on the gut microbiota profile, which may help improve mood,” they said.
“We conducted randomized clinical trials using dark chocolate with different cocoa contents (85% and 70% cocoa content), and the diversity and compositional changes in the gut microbiota after consumption of dark chocolate, and We identified the association between these changes and participants “Emotional state of healthy adults.”
The survey was conducted from July to December 2017 at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea, and involved a total of 48 healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 30.
Volunteers consumed either 30 g / d of 85% cocoa chocolate, 70% cocoa chocolate, or no chocolate for 3 weeks.
The dietary survey was conducted using a 3-day food recording method, which is a standardized tool for dietary evaluation, and included a random 3-day period.
Participants were asked to record the type, amount, ingredients, cooking method, and location of each meal consumed in the last three days. Mood status was measured using a positive and negative impact schedule (PANAS).
Daily intake of dark chocolate significantly reduced the adverse effects in the 85% chocolate group, but not in the 70% chocolate group.
Intestinal microbial diversity was significantly higher in the 85% chocolate group than in the control group.
“”Blautia obeum The level has risen significantly, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Levels were lower in the 85% chocolate group compared to the control group, “the authors said.
“Furthermore, the changes observed with negative emotional scores were found to be negatively correlated with diversity and relative abundance. Blautia obeum.. “
“These findings show that dark chocolate exerts a prebiotic effect, as evidenced by its ability to reconstruct the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota. Therefore, via the cerebrointestinal axis. May improve negative emotional status. “
The study was published in Journal of Nutrition and Biochemistry..
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Jin Ji Hee et al.. 2022. 85% consumption of cocoa dark chocolate improves mood in relation to changes in intestinal microbes in healthy adults: randomized controlled trials. Journal of Nutrition and Biochemistry 99: 108854; Doi: 10.1016 / j.jnutbio.2021.108854
