Health Benefits of Chocolate

Enjoy this treat...guilt-free!

by Kecia A. Dilday

As diets and fashions are reinvented, chocolate’s status as a world-class favorite food is on the upswing due to recent studies examining the heath benefits of cocoa products.

Building on the foundation of cocoa’s traditional medicinal uses, scientists over the past decade began to isolate beneficial substances in cocoa and chocolate.  Through clinical studies, researchers determined that certain elements in cocoa are effective in combating cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.  They specifically found that chocolate’s power punch comes from plant chemical compounds called flavonoids.  These are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage caused by oxidation.  You can think of a flavonoid as a product that helps prevent the cellular equivalent of rust on a lead pipe.  Tea, coffee, red wine, grapes and berries also contain high levels of flavonoids.

In a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of Italian researchers fed a 100-gram (3.5-ounce) daily dose of dark chocolate to participants in a clinical study group for 15 days.  The researchers then tested the participants’ cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and certain markers for insulin.  After a seven-day rest period, the study participants then consumed an equivalent amount of white chocolate for 15 days.  Based on the test results, the study concluded that “… polyphenol-rich dark chocolate but not white chocolate (which contains cocoa butter) decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons.”  More cautious conclusions, drawn from the many studies on the positive effects of flavonoids, place chocolate as just one food within a balanced diet containing a variety of fruits and vegetables.

These revelations about the presence of heart-healthy flavonoids in chocolate have opened up a new market for chocolate manufacturers.  Dark chocolate, containing the highest amount of protective flavonoids, has been soughafter in boutique-style products for years.  Recently, however, some of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers have introduced dark-chocolate versions of their traditional milk-chocolate brands.  M&M’s and Hershey’s Kisses, for example, have both gone to the dark side.  Consumer demand for “healthy” chocolate has also created a potential opportunity for millions of small farmers to grow cocoa beans in the world’s dense tropical forests.

In deep tropical jungles, the ancient Mayans viewed cocoa with a degree of awe, and, in our own era, the properties of chocolate have mystified modern scientists.  The harvesting and processing of the cocoa bean produce a food that protects your heart, feeds your soul and, literally, melts in your mouth. 

So when your snow bunny offers you the box of assorted dark chocolates this year, make sure you savor everything about that first luscious taste, from its beneficial flavonoids to the worried look on your sweetheart’s face.  Then give your spouse a big holiday hug for doing something good for the world.