Skip to main content

Is dark chocolate good for you?


With so many studies extolling the health benefits of chocolate, does it mean that we can eat chocolate with complete abandon?

Natasha loves chocolate with a passion. She would even steal it from the mouths of babes! She is not alone in her ardour. Chocolate has been called theobroma — the food of the gods. It is the one food substance that women have a strong love-hate relationship with. Melting sensuously on the tongue, it creates the most delightful sensations, intriguingly embracing one with intense feelings of love and being loved. It is hardly surprising that chocolate has become the symbol of Valentine's Day and is the number one gift to buy for a loved one. On the other hand, women also perceive chocolate as the devil's tool, the single temptation that often makes one wander off the path of healthy food resolutions.
The production of cocoa has increased exponentially in the past few decades. According to the International Cocoa Organisation, production has risen from 1.2 million tonnes per year in 1960 to 3.2 million tonnes per year in 2004. We don't need statistics to prove to us that we are drowning in a sea of chocolate. Chocolate has gone from being a luxury food to a common confectionery, accessible to anyone.
The healthy effects of chocolate are what all of us are interested in. With so many studies coming out extolling the health benefits of chocolate on heart disease and hypertension, does it mean that we can eat chocolate with complete abandon, revelling in the food that tastes heavenly and shockingly, may actually be good for your health? Tragically, this is not true.
The good side of chocolate



Flavanoids and flavanols are plant molecules present in coloured vegetables, tea, wine and chocolate, among other food products. The flavanol epicatechin is present in cocoa and supposedly improves blood flow and helps with heart health.
Cocoa, the major ingredient of dark chocolate, contains relatively high amounts of epicatechin. White or milk chocolate lovers will be saddened to know that this type of chocolate is often devoid of flavanols, and has no health benefit.
Some studies on a relatively small number of people have shown that dark chocolate is almost as effective as drugs in decreasing high blood pressure. A recent small scientific trial showed that people who were pre-hypertensive or had early-stage hypertension could lower their blood pressure by eating small amounts of dark chocolate as part of their usual diet.
Flavanols can also decrease the risk of a heart attack by 50 per cent, coronary disease by 10 per cent, and premature death by 8 per cent.
It seems that the benefits of flavanols are almost never ending. By helping the body metabolise sugars, dark chocolate may actually reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Flavanols in dark chocolate also increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol and lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
In some studies, flavanols have also been shown to improve blood circulation to the brain for two to three hours after eating chocolate. So does the consumption of dark chocolate delay mental aging, improve memory and fight exhaustion?
Dark chocolate has to contain more than 60 per cent cocoa to have its beneficial effects, and is most effective when containing 75-85 per cent cocoa. How many chocolates contain that much or even taste good with those levels of cocoa?
The dark side of chocolate!



Dark chocolate can be deceptive. Many times, when we think we are eating dark chocolate, the colour is due to darkened cocoa solids; the chocolate itself does not actually contain too much cocoa. Manufacturers of chocolate remove the flavanols because they are bitter. So, unfortunately, even a dark appearing chocolate may not contain enough flavanols. Even the most health conscious among us are kept in the dark, because very rarely do manufacturers rarely label their products with information about the flavanols they contain.
It is also unfortunate that the antioxidants in chocolate are rapidly removed from the body in the normal course of events. The antioxidants, therefore, do not have enough time to show their beneficial effect on the blood vessels and the heart.
The Lancet, a leading medical journal, pointed out that “the devil in dark chocolate is the fat, sugar, and calories it also contains.” So before reaching for that piece of chocolate, remember that it contains more calories than flavonols! If you want the benefit of flavonoids and flavanols, reach for a rainbow of fruits, tea or even a glass of red wine!

Labels:

Comments

  1. The Cacaoist7 December 2011 at 02:28

    Honeyman,

    Good article, but there are two main problems with the dark side of your argument. First, the studies (specifically the 2008 study from Cologne, Germany about blood pressure) was conducted with 5g servings of Ritter Sport Dark Bar containing only 50% cocoa content. This means that approx 49.5% of the rest of the bar is sugar. This would imply that even a dark chocolate bar with as little as 50% cocoa content could have a beneficial impact on your blood pressure.

    Second, the the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbancy Capacity) scale usually measures the benefits of flavanols and polyphenols. They have Dark and Milk chocolate as being 2 to 3 times more beneficial on this scale than red wine, green tea, and leafy greens. Goji berries are as potent as chocolate, but much harder to eat by themselves. SO don't go for the rainbow of fruits, tea, or wine, chocolate is still supreme!

    www.chocolate-earth.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Honeyman8 December 2011 at 01:52

    Thanks for the comments. Appreciate your interest in the subjects

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hemophilia

Hemophilia Introduction: Hemophilia is an inherited disease in which your blood does not clot. People with hemophilia lack or have low levels of one of two blood-clotting substances, known as factor VIII and factor IX. As a result, they may bleed for a long time after an injury. They may also experience internal bleeding, especially in the joints. There are two types of hemophilia -- type A and type B. Hemophilia is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. About 17,000 people in the U.S. have the condition. The blood of someone with hemophilia will not clot normally. Bleeding may occur spontaneously or following   injury . Hemophiliaoccurs in 2 forms,  hemophilia A  and B. In both forms, a  gene  is defective. The defective gene interferes with the ability of the body to produce the clotting factors that allow for normal clotting. The result is a tendency for  abnormal , excessive bleeding. ·  Hemophilia A occurs in 1 in 10,000 people.  Hemophilia B  occurs in 1 in 40,
2 comments
Read more

Child development 2-3 years

Child development  2-3 years Toddlers between two and three really want to find out about themselves and what they want and don’t want. Because they are beginning to talk in sentences, and sometimes say things in a big and definite voice, we can be tricked into thinking that our toddlers are more grown up than they really are. The most important thing to remember about your children at this age is that they are still babies. ‘The Terrible Two’s’ is a well known phrase that is often used because of their ability to sometimes do a good imitation of a grown up bully. They can wait a little while but not for long. T hey can hold their strong feelings inside a little bit, but their feelings can easily burst out in a rush of excitement, fear and frustration. Losing control of such big feelings can be very frightening for them and they need lots of physical contact and reassurance that they are lovable. Social and emotional development Your two year old is
Post a Comment
Read more

Things Not To Say To Your Child

Things Not To Say To Your Child Parenting is no easy job. And the most important — yet difficult part of parenting is learning to talk to your child. Children take everything literally and the way you talk to them goes a long way in building their personality. As a parent, however, while in the middle of juggling tasks, you might end up reacting to your child, at times even speaking out unintentional words. Unfortunately, a child’s mind is not developed enough to understand that these were unintentional and as a result,  it cripples their little minds. And from all the experiences and research, one thing is clear — the only way we can avoid this from happening is, by carefully monitoring what we speak to and in front of our children. Which is easier said than done. But with a little bit of effort and strong will, we can make a better of us and minimize the mishaps. So here are the things that you should definitely refrain from saying to your child . 1. ‘You ar
Post a Comment
Read more