Now that the days are getting darker and shorter, it is important to pay attention to our vitamin D intake. This week it was over in the media that chocolate would be a good source of vitamin D. But is this also correct? I searched it out for you.
The short answer: There are strong indications that chocolate contains vitamin D2. However, this amount is very variable and you should eat huge amounts of chocolate to get enough vitamin D. This is not healthy due to the amounts of fat and sugar.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is crucial for a healthy and well-functioning body. A vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of health risks. Read more about vitamin D in this article.
Vitamin D and chocolate
In September a German study was published that examined whether there is actually vitamin D in chocolate. And this also turned out to be correct.
Vitamin D occurs during the drying of the cocoa beans. After picking and fermenting, the cocoa beans are dried in the sun for 1-2 weeks. In this way, the flesh disappears and the cocoa beans remain. Yeasts grow on the beans during this drying process. These yeasts are rich in ergosterol, a precursor of vitamin D. In the sun, the ergosterol is converted into vitamin D2. This is not the vitamin D3 that our skin produces in the sun, or that we get from our fish, margarine and vitamin pills. It is often thought that only D3 can be included in our body. But vitamin D2 can also be absorbed and fulfill its function as vitamin D in the body.
To test whether there is actually vitamin D in our chocolate, the research group analyzed various cocoa products and powders. Products containing cocoa were indeed a source of vitamin D2!
All about the chocolate?
Is this a good reason to eat plenty of chocolate this winter ..? Unfortunately not. First of all, the amount of vitamin D2 varies greatly in the different cocoa products. The dark chocolate had a relatively higher vitamin D2 content than white chocolate. That is not surprising. Pure chocolate contains more cocoa than white chocolate. But not only that. The amount of vitamin D in cocoa beans is small and very variable. It depends on how much yeast has grown on the cocoa beans and how much sunlight they have had. It is therefore possible that your piece of dark chocolate contains little or no vitamin D.
In addition, you should eat huge amounts of chocolate to get enough vitamin D. Now this may not be a punishment for the chocolate lovers among us. But chocolate is also very rich in calories, sugar, and fat. Because of which such large quantities are not particularly good for our health. In short, enjoy your piece of chocolate. But do not see it as healthy because it may contain a little bit of vitamin D.
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