Evidence supporting the use of: Cacao
For the body system: Cortisol

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) has been traditionally consumed for its mood-enhancing and stimulating effects, but its use to support the “cortisol body system”—that is, to modulate the stress hormone cortisol—has some emerging scientific basis, though the evidence remains limited and preliminary. Several studies have examined the effects of cacao and its major bioactive compounds, particularly flavonoids and theobromine, on stress and cortisol levels. A few small human trials suggest that consumption of dark chocolate or high-flavanol cacao can reduce subjective stress and may blunt increases in cortisol associated with acute stressors. For example, a 2014 study in “The Journal of Proteome Research” found that regular dark chocolate consumption (40 g daily for 2 weeks) was associated with reduced urinary cortisol in healthy adults under stress. Animal studies have also shown that cacao polyphenols might attenuate stress-induced increases in corticosterone (the rodent equivalent of cortisol). The mechanisms are not fully elucidated, but may involve antioxidant effects, modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and impacts on neurotransmitter systems. However, these effects are modest, population sizes are small, and there is a lack of large-scale, high-quality human trials directly linking cacao to meaningful cortisol modulation in clinical settings. Thus, while there is some scientific rationale and early evidence, cacao’s support for the cortisol system cannot be considered robustly validated at this time.

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