Is pure cocoa healthier than chocolate?

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It's a common belief that when foods are processed, their health benefits decrease. Chocolate is definitely a processed product. But scientists have found that it is no less beneficial than cocoa.

To make chocolate, cocoa beans are usually fermented and roasted, processes that can affect the content of polyphenols – compounds that are beneficial for health. But the results of a new study suggest that processing does not reduce the benefits of chocolate.

“In fact, quite the opposite. “We found that some of the most processed samples appeared to have the greatest positive effects on the mice in this study. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of fermentation and roasting on the ability of cocoa to reduce obesity, intestinal barrier dysfunction and chronic inflammation in obese mice,” said one of the authors of the study.

The scientists reported that treating mice with dietary cocoa powder for eight weeks reduced the rate of body weight gain in both males and females by 57%, regardless of fermentation or roasting.