A study conducted by scientists from King’s College London uncovered a link between dark chocolate consumption and markers of cellular aging. In the work, which involved approximately 1700 individuals, specialists measured the level of theobromine—a natural compound from cocoa—in the volunteers’ blood.
The participants’ biological age was assessed using modern epigenetic techniques, including DNA methylation analysis and telomere length measurement. These protective sections of chromosomes naturally shorten over the years, and their status is considered a vital indicator of the aging process.
The findings indicated that people with higher concentrations of theobromine in their blood more frequently exhibited a biological age younger than their actual age. This could suggest that their cells were functioning at a level typical for a younger organism.
At the same time, the study’s authors note that the work is observational and does not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. It cannot be ruled out that the beneficial effect is linked to an overall healthy lifestyle, of which choosing dark chocolate over other sweets is a part.
Specialists advise viewing dark chocolate with high cocoa content as a potentially wholesome but caloric product that should be consumed sparingly. Moving forward, scientists plan to investigate the possibility of using theobromine separately from chocolate under controlled settings.
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