The substance from dark chocolate slows down the aging of the body.
Scientists from King's College London have discovered that theobromine—a natural compound found in cocoa and dark chocolate—is associated with slower aging of the body at the molecular level. The study, published in the journal Aging, is based on an analysis of data from two large European cohorts: the British TwinsUK project and the German KORA study, with a total of more than 1,600 participants.
Researchers measured the level of theobromine in the blood and compared it with the indicators of so-called epigenetic clocks—tests that reflect the rate of biological aging through changes in DNA. It was found that people with higher levels of theobromine experienced slower increases in biological age and also showed more favorable indicators related to telomere length and the risk of premature death. These associations remained even after accounting for caffeine and other related substances from coffee and tea, suggesting a possible specific role of theobromine.
Further analysis revealed that the effect was particularly noticeable in smokers and former smokers—possibly, theobromine partially mitigates the epigenetic damage associated with nicotine exposure. At the same time, the authors emphasize that this is not about a direct "rejuvenating" effect of chocolate, but rather a statistical association. It is still unclear whether theobromine acts on its own or in combination with other components of cocoa, such as polyphenols.
