It's another gut microbe story!
By feasting on the cocoa powder, the microbes break the large polyphenols (potent antioxidants) of cocoa down into small sizes that can then cross from the gut and into the blood.
Polyphenols have many beneficial effects on the body, including anti inflammatory and cardiovascular.
Read here the rather amusing story of Professor John Finley, at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, describing how he carried out his experiment.
So this morning I had my first coconut/banana/cocoa powder smoothie. I found an organic non-alkaline cocoa powder at Berkeley Bowl - Rapunzel from Germany. I chose non-alkaline because alkalising during the processing of cocoa drastically reduces its polyphenol content. It tasted great!
By feasting on the cocoa powder, the microbes break the large polyphenols (potent antioxidants) of cocoa down into small sizes that can then cross from the gut and into the blood.
Polyphenols have many beneficial effects on the body, including anti inflammatory and cardiovascular.
Read here the rather amusing story of Professor John Finley, at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, describing how he carried out his experiment.
So this morning I had my first coconut/banana/cocoa powder smoothie. I found an organic non-alkaline cocoa powder at Berkeley Bowl - Rapunzel from Germany. I chose non-alkaline because alkalising during the processing of cocoa drastically reduces its polyphenol content. It tasted great!