Chocolate is commonly considered to be junk food, and many people avoid consuming chocolate when they switch to a healthy diet. The question is, is chocolate harmful to your health? The answer is quite the opposite of what most people may think. Much research has already attributed to chocolate’s positive health effects, such as the ability to improve memory and thinking in the elderly, to help lose weight and protect the heart. According to Karimi (2015), most of these benefits were associated with flavonoids, compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in cocoa. Some studies confirm that chocolate, consumed in moderation, is good for health. Chocolate must be part of a healthy and balanced diet without reducing the consumption of other foods important for health, such as fruits and vegetables, and give equal importance to the daily practice of moderate physical exercise (Boynton, 2015).
A new study helps explain how chocolate, especially bitter, works in the body, leading to improvements in the cardiovascular system. According to Hiscot (2015), food helps restore the flexibility of the arteries, preventing vessel hardening and white blood cells from leaving the bloodstream and attaching themselves to the artery wall. Both vessel hardening and accumulation of these cells in the walls of the arteries are known risk factors for atherosclerosis, a disease consisting of clogging vessels and reducing blood flow (Hiscott, 2015). It is due to the composition of dark chocolate: carbohydrates, magnesium, and phenylethylamine that it helps reduce stress. Moreover, Chocolate acts as a stimulant of the central nervous system, thanks to the fact that cocoa beans contain theobromine, an alkaloid with a similar function to caffeine (Boynton, 2015).
Furthermore, its properties are essential for proper cardiovascular activity due to the high level of flavonoids (natural compounds present in plants that inhibit platelet activity, improving blood flow). Among the research that points to the positive effects of chocolate consumption, the most numerous are by far the ones that associate food with benefits to the heart. According to a study published last year in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), for example, it is possible to lower the risk of cardiovascular events by eating bitter chocolate (with at least 60% cocoa) every day. Another study, done at Cambridge University and released in 2011, measured how beneficial chocolate can be to the heart: according to the study, consumption without excess food decreases by 37% the risk of heart disease and by 29% the chances of stroke (stroke) (Donaldson et al., 2016). It must, however, be borne in mind that white chocolate does not seem to possess these apparent beneficial effects on the heart since flavonoids are found only in cocoa solids and not in cocoa butter.
Numerous epidemiological studies have shown for years that the consumption of antioxidants in diet and healthy lifestyle habits have a beneficial effect on neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s (Hiscott, 2015). It is especially aimed at the neuroprotective effects of polyphenols (active bio-compounds present in various plants and derived products, such as cocoa or wine). Other studies have also analyzed their anti-carcinogenic effects. However, most of these articles have only focused on the antioxidant properties of these compounds (flavonoids can neutralize free radicals) without deepening their mechanisms of action at the cellular and molecular level. Everyone is unanimous in saying that the best option is bitter chocolate, rich in cocoa. It is the fruit that is the main benefit of chocolate (Van, 2015). According to Donaldson et al. (2016), a product can only be considered “chocolate” if it has more than 25% cocoa.
As per Kerimi (2015), bitter chocolate, which has more than 70% cocoa, is beneficial to cardiovascular health because it has flavonoids that work by lowering total and bad cholesterol. It even improves the arterial elasticity that helps control hypertension and has a caffeine-like substance that would act to prevent atherosclerosis. According to Boynton (2015), if you exceed the amount of 50 grams per day – equivalent to a bonbon or a little more – it can lead to some health problems and weight gain. Even milk chocolate has its benefits, which include enhancing mood in depressed people and improving concentration in those who lack attention – as long as it is consumed in moderation (Hiscott, 2015).
The latest research from an American university showed that the body mass index (BMI) of people who ate chocolate daily was lower than that of people who did not have the habit. Chocolate can even help you lose weight if people who are eating poorly opt for a portion of the candy in the snack instead of eating a packet of saltine (Boynton, 2015). The benefits of chocolate in controlling pressure and cardiovascular disease have also been addressed in recent research from the University of L’Aquila in Italy. Both take into account the action of flavonoids (Van, 2015).
In the Italian research, Davide Grassi concluded that the flavonoids present in cocoa, when consumed using chocolate in hypertensive and diabetic patients, were able to reduce blood pressure (Hiscott, 2015). During the research, researchers looked at the habits and lifestyle of all participants and parameters such as body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol level, and the presence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Thus, they identified 3,300 cases of atrial fibrillation, but in cases where chocolate was introduced into the diet, the risk of fibrillation was reduced by a total of 17% (Hiscott, 2015).
According to Van (2015), experts at the University of Laval, Canada, have found that eating chocolate improves placental function and promotes the development of the fetus. To reach this conclusion, 120 women were evaluated between the 11th and the 14th week of gestation and divided into two groups: the first one ate flavonoid chocolate and the other, with low, considered the “common” type. Each one ingested about 30 grams per day for 12 weeks (Van, 2015). The studies provide evidence that chocolate tends to have numerous health benefits, and consumption should increase with the growth of the chocolate industry throughout the world, especially in the UAE.
References
van Wensem, J. (2015). Overview of scientific evidence for chocolate health benefits. Integrated environmental assessment and management, 11(1), 176-177.
Donaldson, A. I., de Roos, B., Johnstone, A. M., & Myint, P. K. (2016). Is life longer with a box of chocolates?.
Kerimi, A., & Williamson, G. (2015). The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate. Vascular pharmacology, 71, 11-15.
Boynton, S. (2015). Chocolate: The consuming passion. Workman Publishing.
Hiscott, R. (2015). Enjoy Your Chocolate: The Sweet Stuff Is Linked to a Lower Risk of Stroke and Heart Disease. Neurology Now.
