Is anybody using cacao to keep PSA low???

[ck722]

I love cacao + stevia in hot water. No sugar or milk. Just wondering about the effect, if any, on PSA numbers.

[pjoshea13]

You can get 9.7 oz bars of Scharffen Berger unsweetened dark chocolate - 99% cacao. I just remembered that I have some & ate a chunk. It's very tasty IMO.

While I believe that cacao may well have anti-PCa properties, chocolate products are not health products.

"A high intake of coffee (≥6 cups/day) was associated with a possible risk reduction of fatal and significantly with reduced risk for high grade prostate cancer, adjusted OR: 0.45 .., whereas a high intake of chocolate was positively associated with risk of total, advanced, localized and low grade disease (adjusted OR for total: 1.43.., advanced: 1.40.., localized: 1.43.., low-grade: 1.41..)."

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?te...

-Patrick

[ck722 in reply to pjoshea13]

I worked on 7Th street in Berkeley and a lot of construction was going on across the street so I went to to have a look. They were building a chocolate factory - Scharffen Berger's! The roasting aroma from the chocolate and the coffee roasters just down the street was heavenly.

It is my understanding cacao, if processed properly, is actually a health food. I suppose the increased risk associated with "chocolate" intake -not cacao- is actually from the milk fat, chemicals, extensive high temperature processing and refined sugar content.

Cacao, coco and chocolate are very very different even though they all taste great.

Thanks for the reply

[Kuanyin in reply to pjoshea13]

"...whereas a high intake of chocolate was positively associated with risk of total, advanced, localized and low grade disease (adjusted OR for total: 1.43, 95 % CI 1.12-1.82, advanced: 1.40, 95 % CI 1.01-1.96, localized: 1.43, 95 % CI 1.08-1.88, low-grade: 1.41, 95 % CI 1.03-1.93)." This is problematical for several reasons: almost all chocolate is processed with alkali which may leave traces in the product; there is a difference between cacao and cocoa: "Raw cacao is made by cold-pressing un-roasted cacao beans. The process keeps the living enzymes in the cacao and removes the fat (cacao butter). Cocoa looks the same but it's not. Cocoa powder is raw cacao that's been roasted at high temperatures"--cocoa is sweetened and contains different levels of fat. The sugar and the fat may be the culprits, not the cacao which is usually minimally processed. Nevertheless, with perhaps the exception of cacao "nibs" which I feel are inedible, almost all cacao is contaminated mostly with cadmium which is naturally found in soil. It would seem the more cacao is processed the greater the chance for contamination. I have been using cacao for years: I mix it into my oatmeal and add Monk Fruit sweetener. Natural Cacao is low in fat and has almost no sugar. It's a good vasodilator.

[addicted2cycling]

I buy Fair Traded 100% Organic Cacao Nibs and consume it straight up, NO STEVIA or dilution at all. Also 100% Organic Cacao in bar form as I head out on 100+ mile bicycle rides and in powder form in foods/drinks. Like the powder in my straight Espresso.

[ck722 in reply to addicted2cycling]

Never had nibs. Perhaps next time I order. Did not know they could be eaten straight. Fair Trade is important to me and when selecting, it takes preference. I don't consider myself a "chocoholic" but do greatly enjoy a heaping teaspoon of it in the morning. It is very uplifting. Just wondering about cacao and PSA numbers.

[addicted2cycling in reply to ck722]

Do not have a clue regarding affect on PSA but know that consuming 100% requires some unique taste buds. ;0)

BTW, online Vitacost is my source.

[ck722 in reply to addicted2cycling]

I do drink cacao with just hot water at times, depending on my mood. An acquired flavor I suppose.

[Captain_Dave]

I mix baking coco into my morning coffee. Not sure if it's affecting my PSA. But it is supposed to be good for you.

[pakb]

My husband puts a spoon of cacao in his coffee 2x a day. For the flavonols mostly.

[pakb in reply to pakb]

We use Navitas organic 100% cacoa

[j-o-h-n]

I wait till it's frozen chips in my chocolate chip ice cream (two scoops)...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 12/20/2019 2:04 PM EST