Tim Spector says sweet treat is 'rocket fuel for your gut' and boosts fibre

Prof Tim Spector
-Credit: (Image: Steve Parsons/PA)


A health guru has spoken about the health benefits of what many of us would consider a sweet treat - chocolate. Prof Tim Spector, who is the founder of the Zoe App and a King's College London professor, said its content of one thing - polyphenol - exceeded that of what he called "so-called superfoods".

In a post on his Instagram page, Prof Spector said: "Did you know that the total polyphenol content of cocoa powder exceeds that of so-called “superfoods” açai, blueberries and pomegranate? (PMID: 21299842) Cocoa is a rich source of polyphenols such as flavanols which act as rocket fuel for your gut microbes, enhancing the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and reducing the number of pathogenic or bad bacteria."

Further, the health expert went on to say that chocolate also had "a reasonable amount" of something we probably wouldn't associate with it - fibre.

He added: "As well as the well-documented polyphenols, there is actually a reasonable amount of fibre in chocolate. Around 7–12g/100g in dark and 3g/100g in milk. These are significant levels when you consider one portion (approx. 3 squares) of 70% dark chocolate has ~4g fibre, double the fibre than of a slice of wholegrain bread.

"Some chocolate bars will contain emulsifiers so it’s best to check the label and choose the highest percentage you can enjoy to minimise the sugar content and maximise the polyphenol and fibre content."