Good Bacteria in Guts Ferment Dark Chocolate into Heart Healthy Compounds

Good bacteria in the gut help breakdown dark chocolate and release compounds that help protect the heart.

Previous research has shown that people who eat dark chocolates have lower risk of heart attacks. Now, researchers at Louisiana State University have found that it is the good bacteria in the gut that eat this dark chocolate and ferment it into compounds that reduce inflammation.

"We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the 'good' ones and the 'bad' ones," explained Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study researchers.

"The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate," she said in a news release. Bad bacteria such as Clostridia and some E. coli cause gas, bloating and diarrhea.

The study was presented at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

For the study, researchers used a model of digestive tract to test three samples of cocoa powders. Researchers exposed non-digestible materials to anaerobic fermentation using fecal bacteria.

According to Finley, chocolate has antioxidants such as catechin and epicatechin as well as dietary fiber. These compounds aren't fully digested in the stomach and small intestine. However, when they reach the colon the good bacteria start breaking these non-digestible materials.

"In our study we found that the fiber is fermented and the large polyphenolic polymers are metabolized to smaller molecules, which are more easily absorbed. These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity," he said in a news release.

Consuming chocolate with fruits like pomegranates and acai could increase levels of anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, Finley added.

The study was funded by Louisiana State College of Agriculture and a Louisiana AgCenter Undergraduate Research Grant.