I just had an
experience that supports this and I also had an experience that doesnt, conclusion: it depends on the chocolate.
I am a HUGE chocolate fan (dark chocolate only, it is an entirely different thing when there is sugar) so when I was in Panama for vacation (I just got back yesterday) I was in heaven.
This is the experience that supports this claim:
One day in Panama I bought a whole bag of just roasted beans (fresh and locally grown) and ate the entire thing! The next day I pooed it all out and it was the best smelling poo Ive ever had (sorry but we ARE talking about the digestive system). It was dark brown, perfectly formed (indicating complete digestion) and smelled like a mixture of awesome chocolate and awesome fresh
compost. So definitely some good fermentation went on there.
My experience that doesn't support this claim:
I eat a lot of expensive dark chocolate bars (just finished one actually) and I have never noticed anything like the experience I described above. Maybe the process is still going on to a lesser degree but I suspect that much of the benefits and potency may be lost in the transition from freshly roasted bean to chocolate bar in your hand (even with artisan chocolate bars).
I suggest that if you are interested in this for health reasons that you find some straight up cacao beans or nibs and eat a ton of them at once, see if you notice the same thing i noticed. Notice your stool and notice how you feel for the next few days.
I personally do not put much stock in other peoples "science", "studies", or "experiments". I use them as ideas for conducting my own personal experiments and finding out what is true for myself.
Not really sure where I was going with this post, haha. But it was fun to share my opinions and experiences anyways.