Summary
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What are the health benefits of dark chocolate and cocoa?
Cocoa-based products contain flavanols, which are associated with modest, potential benefits regarding blood flow, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, exercise, skin wrinkles, and blood sugar control. Memory and cognitive benefits appear to be very limited (see What It Does).
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How much cocoa or dark chocolate do I need?
This depends on two things: The amounts of cocoa flavanols used in various clinical studies (summarized below), and the actual amounts of flavanols that we found in a serving of each product, which is provided in the 2nd column in the Results Table.
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Which dark chocolate and cocoa products are best?
Be careful! Several cocoa powders, cacao nibs, and some dark chocolates failed to pass our review due to contamination with high levels of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal (see What CL Found). Furthermore, levels of potentially beneficial cocoa flavanols ranged from just 1 mg to 374 mg in cocoa powders and mixes, 2 mg to 351 mg in dark chocolates, and 2 mg to 993 mg in supplements. Products also vary widely in calories per serving.
Among products that minimize heavy metal exposure, maximize flavanol content, and offer superior value without sacrificing flavor, we selected our Top Picks among supplements, cocoas and mixes, dark chocolates and chips, and cacao nibs.
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Are dark chocolate and cocoa safe?
Although cocoa and dark chocolate products are generally safe, it may be best to limit consumption of products due to contaminants as well as calories (see How much of a danger is cadmium from cocoa and chocolate?). Although it is common for cocoa beans to be contaminated with the fungal toxin ochratoxin A (OTA), most of the toxin is found in the shell of the bean, which is removed during processing. Levels of OTA in processed cocoa products, such as cocoa powder and chocolate, have generally been found to be quite low and not of concern. Be aware that the caffeine and theobromine in cocoa products may cause side effects as well as interfere with the actions of certain drugs. Cocoa and dark chocolate products may also trigger migraine headache in some people as well as eczema or allergic contact dermatitis in nickel-sensitive individuals. People with milk allergies should be aware that dark chocolate bars may contain milk (see Concerns and Cautions).
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In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. The following sources are referenced in this article:
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Products Tested in 2019 and 2022
You must be a ConsumerLab.com member to get the full test results along with ConsumerLab.com's Top Picks among products. You'll get immediate access to the amounts of flavanols and cadmium that we discovered in 40 dark chocolate bars and chips, cocoa powders, cacao nibs, and cocoa supplements, including 37 selected by ConsumerLab.com and three products tested through our voluntary Quality Certification Program.
If you are sensitive to caffeine or theobromine, you'll also want to see how much we found in each dark chocolate bar and supplement — something not typically listed on labels.
In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:
- Which cocoa, cacao, and dark chocolate products failed testing and which passed
- ConsumerLab.com's Top Picks among the best cocoa and dark chocolate products
- Direct comparisons and quality ratings of cocoa, cacao, and chocolate products
- Cost comparisons, showing you which cocoa, cacao, and chocolate products provide the most flavanols at lowest cost
- Dosage information for using cocoa-based products -- and what clinical studies have shown
- Side-effects, cautions, and potential drug interactions with cocoa and dark chocolate, including concerns about allergies, acne, acrylamide, migraine, ochratoxin A, blood sugar control, and kidney stones
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