The life-saving potential of dark chocolate: improve your health with cocoa
My PhD project involves researching the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of flavanols. Today, I’d like to discuss the benefits of dark chocolate, a delicious treat ranking high in flavanol content.
More than just a guilty pleasure, here are some papers that may surprise you on cocoa’s noteworthy clinical effects:
1. The major benefit of a high cocoa diet is improving cardiovascular health:
a. Daily intake caused a 27% reduction in cardiovascular disease deaths e.g. heart attacks or strokes
b. Reduced risk and harm of diabetes and obesity – ironic right? 🍫
c. Improve the function of endothelial progenitor stem cells, involved in the repair of blood vessels and wounds. EV olive oil was also shown to have this effect.
2. Dark chocolate improves mood and cognitive function:
a. Significant improvement in stress decrease compared to milk/white chocolate in both normal and high stressed individuals
b. Decreased mental fatigue and improved performance during sustained mental effort
3. In 2022, these mood enhancing properties have been associated with beneficial changes in gut bacteria.
This link to the gut microbiome is a key finding, as more and more research has been unravelling its crucial role in a wide range of bodily functions, from digestion and immune function to mental health and disease prevention.
My book read of the week: Principles by Ray Dalio
TLDR: honestly this feels like a long read (16 hour audiobook), that can definitely be summarised in a 1 hour documentary. The book focuses a surprising amount on psychology, which Dalio uses to explain how his legendary investment firm Bridgewater works differently. Here are 2 things I picked out as interesting.
1. Baseball Cards
Dalio’s employees are all given a ‘baseball card’, where their strengths and weaknesses in different areas are quantified by popular vote. Dalio says this ‘radical honesty’ approach doesn’t work for everyone, but those who adapt to it are happier ‘being themselves’ and not having to pretend to be good at everything.
2. Your internal locus of control and success
The internal locus of control is a psychological concept that refers to an individual's belief that their actions and decisions can influence their lives.
Research has shown that people with an internal locus of control tend to experience greater success in various areas of their lives, including academic achievement, career success, and personal relationships.
According to Dalio, these individuals are able to persevere in the face of challenges by taking ownership of their mistakes, learn from them, and make better decisions in the future.
The unique culture at Bridgewater encourages individuals to seek feedback from others and use this to improve themselves.
Ending quote
““Most of life’s greatest opportunities come out of moments of struggle; it’s up to you to make the most of these tests of creativity and character.””
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition, more book and podcast recommendations to come next week. Go about your week investing just a little bit more of your time, effort, love and money in science!
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