Dark Chocolate: A Healing Functional Food

Dark chocolate is medicine disguised as dessert. A new study found that 85 percent

cocoa reversed gut permeability in just four weeks, essentially healing leaky gut and slashing

inflammation at its source. This isn't about satisfying cravings. The polyphenols

in high-cocoa chocolate feed beneficial gut bacteria, strengthen intestinal walls,

and reduce systemic inflammation linked to chronic disease. Researchers compared it to probiotics

and found dark chocolate performed equally well, sometimes better. The catch is cocoa

percentage matters. Milk chocolate won't cut it. You need 85 percent or higher to get

therapeutic doses of these compounds. Two squares daily was the sweet spot in trials.