Cocoa butter

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Post-meal inflammation³

  Eating cocoa butter did not change inflammation markers in the women's blood after meals.

• No harm found

  Liver fat and belly fat⁵

  In healthy adults, eating cocoa butter did not change liver fat or belly fat compared with other fats.

• Concern

  Cholesterol levels⁶

  Cocoa butter raised LDL cholesterol less than expected from its saturated fat, but more than liquid vegetable oils do.

• Benefit

  Fat absorption and cholesterol⁹

  Adding calcium to chocolate made men absorb less cocoa butter and lowered their LDL cholesterol.

• Open question

  Cholesterol levels in the blood¹⁰

  In people, cocoa butter raised cholesterol less than dairy butter but more than olive or soybean oil.

How it’s made and used

• Blood fat levels⁴

  In people, cocoa butter had almost the same effect on blood fats as palm and olive oils.

• Fat digestion and calories⁷

  Cocoa butter in dark chocolate is digested as well as corn oil, so it is not a low-calorie fat.

• Fat digestion⁸

  People absorbed less of the fat from cocoa butter than from corn oil, based on what they excreted.

• Chocolate texture and flavour¹¹

  In lab studies, swapping some cocoa butter for shea butter made chocolate feel sandy and release flavour more slowly.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.