Running out of chocolate?

So, a few years ago, it came to my attention that scientists believed that chocolate would become extinct, around the year 2050, and come to an end.

As a chocolate lover, this made me shiver, but I didn't give it much thought until I recently came across that information again.

Why is chocolate running out?

It seems that the cocoa plants are at risk of extinction due to the climate changes.

Most of the world's cocoa comes from countries of West Afrika and, due to the global increase of heat, the cocoa plants are not likely to be able to survive where they currently are.

The problem is not so much the heat itself, it's the lack of humidity that it originates.

Why should we even care?

Worrying gives you wrinkles

If chocolate really does come to an end, the ones with a sweet tooth won't be the only ones to lose. It is well known that chocolate (especially the dark one) has several benefits for the human body:

• Eating or drinking chocolate for pleasure acts as a natural painkiller;
• Chocolate has a lot of fiber, which helps us feel satiated and reduces cravings for other foods;
• It gives us a feeling of well-being, caused by the action of endorphins and dopamine that make our bodies produce serotonin;
• Among the components of chocolate is theobromine, which acts on the vagus nerve, the part of the brain that causes the coughing attacks;
• Chocolate provides B vitamins like B2 and B12 and minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium, which are important, among other things, for the formation and health of bones and teeth;
• People who eat chocolate have a decreased level of stress hormones in their bloodstream;

• Dark bitter chocolate suppresses a body enzyme known to elevate blood pressure;
• It contributes to the flow of blood that goes into the retina, helping to improve vision;
• Consuming bitter chocolate improves arterial flow and does cardiovascular health well by decreasing the tendency for platelet clotting and blood vessel obstruction, which also improves muscle oxygenation;
• The increased blood flow to the brain helps us feel more awake and alert, thus facilitating learning;
• People who survive a heart attack and eat chocolate, have a decreased risk of dying from a heart condition;
• Cocoa has twice the antioxidants of red wine and three times that of green tea, delaying aging;
• Two pieces of dark chocolate per day decrease chronic inflammation, known for conditions such as Alzheimer and heart attacks;
• During pregnancy, eating chocolate can prevent pre-eclampsia;
• It can help prevent bowel cancer (it contains procyanidins molecules, which have antioxidant properties that serve to protect cells from tumor degeneration);
• Bitter chocolate can help reduce brain damage after a stroke.

I bet there are at least a few on this list that surprised you, as they have surprised me. There are far more benefits of chocolate than the ones I knew about.

But, if chocolate is this important then...

What is being done to prevent its extinction?

One of the solutions presented, would be to try to move the plantations to the top of the mountains, where the air is cooler. The problem is that the soil there is not as fertile.

However, it is said that Mars (an industry responsible for products such as Snickers and Twix) has teamed up with California's University and have found a technology that modifies the DNA of the cocoa trees, in order to make them more resilient to these climate changes.

What do you think about all this? Are you at all worried that chocolate might be coming to an end? Will you miss it if it does? Let me know in the comments below.