SUPERFOODS CACAO POWDER 125g

These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store, because whether cacao is worth adding mostly comes down to which form you buy and how much caffeine you already have.

A good fit if

• You already enjoy dark chocolate or cacao and want to choose it with your eyes open
• You'd like a food with a well-studied effect on how your blood vessels work, alongside a normal diet
• You handle caffeine and theobromine fine, and aren't adding it on top of lots of coffee or energy drinks
• You're comfortable that the mood evidence comes from short trials, not proof of a lasting effect

Check with us first if

• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. The required caffeine warning applies above 200 mg a day.
• You already drink a fair bit of coffee, tea or energy drinks, because the caffeine and theobromine add up across everything you have.
• You take medicine that relies on the liver enzyme CYP1A2. Caffeine is a known interaction.
• You're giving it to a young child regularly, because of the caffeine and heavy metals it contains.

• Cocoa flavanol extract (capsule or tablet, standardised). Best known for: The form every major trial used, at a known, fixed dose. Absorption: The dose is set by lab testing, not by the food it comes in, and effects rise with the dose. Typical use: Circulation, blood vessel function and antioxidant support.
• Non-alkalised (raw or natural) cacao powder. Best known for: Keeps far more flavanols than Dutch-processed powder. Absorption: Its make-up is well documented, but there's no separate human absorption trial for this form. Typical use: The food route to a meaningful flavanol dose, if the label states how much.
• Alkalised (Dutch-processed) cocoa powder. Best known for: A darker colour and milder taste, but most of the flavanols are lost. Absorption: Alkalising can destroy up to 98% of the epicatechin before it reaches you. Typical use: Baking and everyday cooking, not a flavanol dose.
• Dark chocolate, 70% cocoa or higher. Best known for: The food form used in the mood and blood fat trials. Absorption: A whole food; flavanol content varies by brand and is rarely stated. Typical use: An everyday way to get some flavanols, with sugar and fat alongside them.
• Milk chocolate. Best known for: Less cocoa and more sugar. Absorption: Not applicable, as it isn't used as a therapeutic form. Typical use: None. One trial used it as the inactive comparison.
• Cacao butter (THEOBROMA OIL, item 4915). Best known for: The clearest regulatory position in the family, and a genuine result on the skin. Absorption: Used on the skin, not eaten, and contains almost none of the flavanols. Typical use: Skin and lip care, including nipple care in early breastfeeding.
• Carob. Best known for: A different plant entirely, with no caffeine or theobromine. Absorption: Not applicable. Typical use: The caffeine-free swap if you react to cacao. Its own evidence is separate.

Reference values. There's no recommended intake for cacao or cocoa flavanols, because they aren't essential nutrients.

Typical supplemental range. The trials with positive results used 500 to 800 mg of cocoa flavanols a day, usually from a standardised extract. As food, that's roughly 30 g a day of dark chocolate at 70% cocoa or higher, although most packs don't list a flavanol amount.

Upper level. There's no formal upper limit. Up to 2,000 mg a day of cocoa flavanols was well tolerated by healthy adults over 12 weeks. For a listed medicine, the Australian cap is 400 mg of total caffeine a day, and no more than 100 mg in any 3 hour period.

Worth knowing. The effect only shows up at a proper dose, and most cocoa powder on the shelf doesn't come close. Cocoa powders vary about 39-fold in total polyphenols, so a supermarket tin and a certified high-flavanol product aren't the same thing. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Cacao powder or nibs themselves: flavanol content varies widely by brand; only a stated figure tells you what you're getting
• Dark chocolate, 70 to 85% cocoa: the food form used in most positive trials, around 12 to 30 g a day
• Milk chocolate: lower cocoa solids and more sugar; below any studied active dose
• Cacao butter: the pressed fat, with almost none of the flavanols left
• Coffee, tea and energy drinks: not cacao, but they share its caffeine budget, so count them together across the day

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The TGA's required warning says more than 200 mg of caffeine a day isn't recommended.
• If you already have a lot of caffeine from coffee, tea or energy drinks. It adds up across everything you have.
• Medicines broken down by CYP1A2 in the liver. Caffeine is a known interaction, according to the required warning.
• Children, for a concentrated flavanol supplement. Any dose over 10 mg caffeine must be labelled for adults only.
• Heavy metals. Cadmium and lead have been found in commercial dark chocolate, a documented concern for children.