Dark Chocolate Protects Against Stroke-Induced Brain Injury

Dark chocolate contains protective antioxidant properties. However, these features are lost in the refining process. A recent study of mice pretreated with dark chocolate¹ prior to experimentally-induced stroke showed that they suffered less brain damage. Even mice given chocolate only after the stroke had far less damage.

The higher level of protection was due to the antioxidant polyphenol catechins in the chocolate. These catechins appeared to work through activation of the enzyme heme oxygenase 1, which traps free iron following a stroke and thus reduces the free radical damage that typically occurs.

Scientists have been intrigued by the potential health benefits of epicatechin by studying the Kuna Indians, a remote population living on islands off the coast of Panama. The islands’ residents had a low incidence of cardiovascular disease. Scientists who studied them found nothing striking in the genes and realized that when they moved away from Kuna, they were no longer protected from heart problems. Researchers soon discovered the reason was likely environmental: The residents of Kuna regularly drank a very bitter cocoa drink, with a consistency like molasses, instead of coffee or soda. The drink was high in the compound epicatechin, which is a flavanol, a flavanoid-related compound.