Muscle Building Benefits of Cocoa

[Jinzang]

This is not new information, but was news to me and possibly others. Cocoa powder has been known to be a good source of anti-oxidants, but also has muscle building properties through its ability to inhibit myostatin:

The flavanol (-)-epicatechin, a component of cacao (cocoa), has been shown to have multiple health benefits in humans. New research reports that (-)-epicatechin may also reduce myostatin levels in older adults. Researchers examined changes in protein levels of growth factors in young versus old human skeletal muscle. In humans, markers of musclegrowth-inhibition increases, such as myostatin and -galactosidase, increased with aging, while growth factors such as follistatin, MyoD, and myogenin decreased. Treatment for seven days with (−)-epicatechin increased handgrip strength and also the ratio of anabolic growth factors and reduced myostatin levels. The researchers don’t know exactly how (-)-epicatechin reduces myostatin, but the common sources of (-)-epicatechin are cocoa and tea. So including these two common ingredients may have some anabolic activity in addition to many health benefits.

To get health benefits from cocoa, make sure it was not processed with alkali and preferably is raw.