The researchers used data from participants in two groups: 509 women from the TwinsUK cohort; and 1,160 men and women from the KORA group in Germany. Both groups had an average age of 60.They measured the amount of theobromine in the participants\u2019 blood and analyzed their DNA using models that estimate aging based on molecular biomarkers.The researchers discovered that higher levels of theobromine in the blood was associated with a reduced pace of aging, as seen by two of these \u201cclocks.\u201dWhen the team investigated whether other substances in dark chocolate had that effect, they found the link persisted only with theobromine.<\/p>\n
Can dark chocolate really affect cellular aging?<\/p>\n
Much of how we age is determined by our genes. But epigenetic factors such as our behaviors, environments and diets can turn some genes on or shut others off through different processes. One such mechanism is DNA methylation, the focus of the new study.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we were looking for here are the chemical \u2018tags\u2019 that can be added onto your DNA,\u201d said Jordana Bell, a professor in epigenomics at King\u2019s College London and the lead author of the study.<\/p>\n
Consider it the \u201cgrammar\u201d of your genome, said Jos\u00e9 M. Ordov\u00e1s, a senior scientist and leader of the Precision Nutrition & Healthy Aging directive at Tufts University who was not involved in the study. These markers don\u2019t alter the fixed sequence of your DNA, but the tags (like punctuation marks) affect how they are expressed, he said.<\/p>\n
DNA methylation patterns also shift with age, allowing for the development of epigenetic clocks that estimate biological (rather than chronological) age.<\/p>\n
Using these clocks to compare epigenetic markers of aging among the study participants, the researchers found a link between higher levels of theobromine in the blood and reduced signs of cellular aging.<\/p>\n
After running further tests to see whether other cocoa components – including caffeine – showed similar patterns, Bell and her team discovered it occurred only with theobromine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat our results are suggesting is that [theobromine] might be affecting the activity of genes,\u201d Bell said. \u201cAnd then that contributes to aging and health.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also possible that something synergistic is going on with the theobromine and other chocolate components they didn\u2019t measure in the study, such as polyphenols, Bell said. These anti-inflammatory compounds, which are also found in dark chocolate, are linked to better brain function, a more varied gut microbiome, and lower risks of conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.<\/p>\n
What are the study limitations?<\/p>\n
While the findings are interesting – and who doesn\u2019t want to hope that their favorite treat might be a fountain of youth – there are a few limitations to recognize before you eat up.<\/p>\n
The study didn\u2019t dig into diet, so it\u2019s not clear whether people had high levels of theobromine because of chocolate. \u201cThey did not measure the intake of chocolate; they looked at a biomarker of something that is in chocolate,” Ordov\u00e1s said. One of the sample groups did complete a food questionnaire that asked how frequently the participants ate chocolate, but it didn\u2019t delve into specifics such as what kind they were eating, the percentage of cocoa it had, or how much of it they ate.<\/p>\n
The data also comes from one single point in time, so the study wasn\u2019t able to see how theobromine levels over weeks, months or years might relate to aging rates, Bell said. \u201cYou need to see things moving one time after another,\u201d Ordov\u00e1s said. \u201cThat brings more confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
And epigenetic clocks aren\u2019t set in stone. \u201cThese are dynamic estimates,\u201d Bell said. \u201cIt just means that at this point in time, looking at your DNA, we estimate that you seem to be aging a little bit slower or faster than we would expect based on your chronological age.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is a good thing because you can use this knowledge to guide diet or other health interventions to change your biological age estimate, she said.<\/p>\n
What does this mean for choosing chocolate?<\/p>\n
The findings about theobromine add to what we know about the other health-promoting compounds in dark chocolate, such as polyphenols. And here are some recommendations about dark chocolate from Alexis Supan, an outpatient dietitian at the Bariatric & Metabolic Institute with the Cleveland Clinic:<\/p>\n
While anything above 50 percent cocoa solids can be considered \u201cdark\u201d chocolate, that range is a big one, and you\u2019d probably be better served aiming for 70 percent or greater.The higher the percentage, the more bitter it will be, but it will also bring a higher concentration of the beneficial compounds and less of the \u201cnot-so-healthy things like the saturated fat and the sugar.\u201dMake sure that cocoa is the first ingredient listed on the label. Ideally, you\u2019d want just three ingredients: cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter.Choose chocolate that isn\u2019t Dutch-processed, which is sometimes listed on the label. This alkalization process mellows its flavor, but also strips away some of the polyphenols. \u201cYou\u2019re not getting quite as much antioxidant power,\u201d Supan said.For balance in your diet, keep the rest of your daily added sugar in check. A one-ounce serving of dark chocolate can provide about one-third of the daily upper limit for women and one-quarter for men.Dark chocolate can contain higher levels of harmful metals such as cadmium and lead, which are riskier for pregnant people or younger children, Supan said. Consumer Reports has a list of levels in many popular brands, so you can make an informed decision.<\/p>\n
As long as the chocolate fits this criteria, what form you choose to consume it in, whether in a mug or bar, shouldn\u2019t matter. But when used in baking – say, that dark chocolate cake or rich, gooey cookies – keep in mind that the cocoa is competing with ingredients such as butter, sugar and flour, so you\u2019re probably taking in less of the good products, Supan said.<\/p>\n
Her tip for the holidays? Try a dark chocolate bark. You can make it festive with some fruit and nuts, but you\u2019ll still be getting a solid dose of the actual dark chocolate.<\/p>\n
Finally, if you aren\u2019t a fan of chocolate, don\u2019t force yourself to eat it simply for some type of cellular benefits that theobromine might bring. After all, \u201cmethylation is involved in aging, but it is a tiny percentage compared with all the many other factors,\u201d Ordov\u00e1s said.<\/p>\n
These include your diet as a whole, physical activity, sleep and stress levels. \u201cThis is one tiny little sliver, and it\u2019s a great reason to not feel bad about having an ounce of dark chocolate today,\u201d Supan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The researchers used data from participants in two groups: 509 women from the TwinsUK cohort; and 1,160 men…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[207105,64,63,207106,30321,101348,207107,73037,2057,137,532,36371,6771,56940,82700],"class_list":["post-385742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-attractions","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boutiques","tag-chocolate","tag-cocoa","tag-confections","tag-destinations","tag-europe","tag-health","tag-nutrition","tag-shops","tag-tourism","tag-traveling","tag-treats"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}