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What Are the Health Benefits of Raw Cocoa Beans?

Jun 8, 2011 | By Cat Carson

Cocoa beans are the seeds of the fruit from cacao trees. Drugs.com mentions that the Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which literally means "the food of the gods." The ancient Aztecs understood the value of cocoa beans and even used them as currency. Raw cocoa beans have a very intense, extremely bitter taste. Uncooked and unprocessed cocoa beans contain a host of health benefits. Talk to your doctor before using cocoa beans to treat specific health conditions.

Nutritional Benefits

Drugs.com reports that cocoa beans contain over 300 volatile compounds, including theobromine, phenylethylamine, caffeine, fatty acids and several polyphenols, such as flavonoids. Cocoa beans are also a rich source of various vitamins and minerals. The AllChocolate website reports that raw cocoa beans contain healthy amounts of copper and potassium, both of which help to promote heart health, as well as iron, which carries oxygen throughout your body. Cocoa beans also contain calcium and magnesium, which the University of Maryland Medical Center notes is essential for all organs to function correctly.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Raw cocoa beans are a rich source of healthy antioxidants, containing even more than red wine or green tea, according to the AllChocolate website. Drugs.com reports that the polyphenols found in cocoa beans seem to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. The antioxidants appear to reduce blood pressure levels, improve blood flow and prevent plaque from building-up in your arteries. Cocoa beans might even help you to improve your cholesterol by reducing your levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and increasing your levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. Further studies are needed to confirm that cocoa beans improve cardiovascular health.

Increases Happiness

Raw cocoa beans contain several chemicals that regulate the neurotransmitters in your brain, according to The Exploratorium. The small amount of caffeine combined with the theobromine, a mild stimulant, can help to improve your mood and increase your sense of well-being. Cocoa beans contain phenylethylamine, the same stimulating chemical your brain releases when you fall in love. Cocoa products also contain anandamide, a neurotransmitter naturally produced in the brain. This substance seems to work similar to the active ingredient in marijuana, which might give you a mild, natural high when you eat cocoa beans. Talk to your doctor before consuming raw cocoa beans to treat depression or other mood disorders.

Improved Cognitive Functioning

The polyphenols found in raw cocoa beans might also help to improve your brain function. According to the "Journal of Psychopharmacology," one study discovered that the flavonoids contained in cocoa beans increased cognitive functioning, probably by stimulating the flow of blood to the brain. This means that consuming raw cocoa beans might help to boost your alertness levels and make you think more clearly. Drugs.com adds that cocoa beans might also help treat the cognitive impairment caused by strokes or dementia. More studies are needed to support these claims, however.

References

Article reviewed by Jenna Marie Last updated on: Jun 8, 2011

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