Ingredient · Ingredient
Dark chocolate
A whole food with modest health benefits; mainly a treat, not a risk.
Dark chocolate is cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar, containing flavanols linked to mild heart-health benefits, plus caffeine and theobromine. For most adults, normal treat-sized portions carry no meaningful risk; concerns are limited to caffeine sensitivity, pets, and trace heavy metals in some brands.
Why it matters
Dark chocolate is made from roasted cocoa beans, giving it cocoa solids (which include flavanols, caffeine and theobromine), cocoa butter, and usually some sugar. The higher the cocoa percentage, the less sugar and the more of these compounds it has. In the body, flavanols may modestly support blood vessel function, and caffeine plus theobromine give a mild stimulant effect. For nearly everyone, eating dark chocolate as a snack or treat is simply food, not a hazard.
Sources (2)
- 1.Consumer Reports: Lead and Cadmium in Dark Chocolate
- 2.EFSA Scientific Opinion on caffeine safety(efsa.europa.eu)
