Nutritional boffin Tim Spector has claimed that a certain sweet indulgence boasts more health-boosting chemicals than the so-called ‘superfoods’ like blueberries and pomegranates. The King’s College London genetics expert and brains behind the Zoe health app, Prof Spector, has suggested that chocolate might just be the next health food sensation.
In his latest clip on the Zoe Instagram account, he remarked: “I forget exactly what chocolate’s made of, but it all comes from a plant that is fermented. This breaks down the plant in lots of chemicals. Those polyphenols, these defence chemicals. These are like rocket fuel for your gut microbes and that interaction between the fibre that’s still left and the chocolate and there is fibre in there.”
“Plus, these polyphenols make microbes happy. They interact with it to produce other chemicals, which we believe are generally good for your body, for your immune system for your digestion, your mental health, et cetera, et cetera,”.
He highlighted that polyphenols, substances known to help reduce bodily inflammation, could be key in staving off conditions such as dementia, arthritis, and diabetes. Moreover, top-notch choc is packed with fibre a crucial component given that a whopping 90 per cent of us fail to hit the daily recommended fibre intake of 30g.
Prof Spector has pointed out that upping our fibre intake by just 5g a day can slash blood pressure significantly more than cutting back on salt.
He further explained: “So Chocolate: a health food? Did you know that the total polyphenol content of cocoa powder exceeds that of so called “superfoods” acai, blueberries and pomegranate? “Cocoa is a rich source of polyphenols such as flavanols which act as rocket fuel for your gut microbes, enhancing the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and reducing the number of pathogenic or bad bacteria.
“As well as the well documented polyphenols, there is actually a reasonable amount of fibre in chocolate. around 712g/100g in dark and 3g/100g in milk. These are significant levels when you consider one portion (approx. 3 squares) of 70% dark chocolate has ~4g fibre, double the fibre than of a slice of wholegrain bread.”
He also pointed out that some chocolate bars contain emulsifiers and advised consumers to check the label and opt for the highest percentage they can enjoy to minimise the sugar content and maximise the polyphenol and fibre content.