Chocolate Benefits For Heart Health

Chocolate has been reported in many media in recent years because it believes it may help protect your cardiovascular system. The reason is that cocoa beans are rich in a class of phytonutrients called flavonoids.

Flavonoids help protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. They can be found in a variety of foods such as fruits and vegetables. When we eat foods rich in flavonoids, it seems that we also benefit from this "antioxidant" ability.

Antioxidants are thought to help the body's cells resist damage caused by free radicals formed by normal body processes such as breathing and environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke. If your body does not have enough antioxidants to fight the amount of oxidation that occurs, it will be destroyed by free radicals. For example, an increase in oxidation can result in low density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol, which forms plaque on the arterial wall.

Flavanols are the major flavonoids found in cocoa and chocolate. In addition to its antioxidant properties, studies have shown that flavanols have other potential effects on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making platelets less viscous and capable of coagulation.

These phytochemicals are not only found in chocolate. In fact, a wide variety of foods and beverages are rich in flavonols. These include cranberry, apple, peanut, onion, tea and red wine.

Are all types of chocolate healthy?
Before you take a chocolate candy bar or chocolate cake, it's important to understand that not all forms of chocolate contain high levels of flavanols.

Cocoa naturally has a very strong, irritating taste derived from flavanols. When cocoa is processed into your favorite chocolate product, it takes a few steps to reduce this taste. The more chocolate processed (by fermentation, alkalization, baking, etc.), the more flavanols are.

Most commercial chocolates are highly processed. Although some people think that dark chocolate contains the highest levels of flavanols, recent research suggests that this may not be true depending on how the dark chocolate is processed. The good news is that most major chocolate manufacturers are looking for ways to keep flavanols in processed chocolate. But for now, your best bet may be dark chocolate on milk chocolate (especially milk chocolate with other fats and sugars) and cocoa powder that has not been processed in the Netherlands (can be treated with alkali to neutralize its natural Acidity).

How about all the fat in the chocolate?
You may be surprised to find that chocolate is not as bad for you as you once thought.

The fat in chocolate comes from cocoa butter, which is composed of the same amount of oleic acid (the olive oil also contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat), stearic acid and palmitic acid. Stearic acid and palmitic acid are in the form of saturated fats. You may know that saturated fat is associated with an increase in LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

However, studies have shown that stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol, neither raising nor lowering cholesterol. Although palmitic acid does affect cholesterol levels, it accounts for only one-third of the fat calories in chocolate. Still, this doesn't mean you can eat all the dark chocolate you like.

First, pay attention to the type of dark chocolate you choose: chewy caramel - marshmallow - nut-covered dark chocolate is by no means a heart-healthy food choice. Pay attention to the extra ingredients that can add extra fat and calories. Second, there is currently no definite amount of chocolate to help you get the cardiovascular benefits it may bring, and more research is needed in this area. However, if you occasionally enjoy a small piece of dark chocolate, we know that you no longer need to feel guilty.

So now, enjoy a modest amount of chocolate (eg 1 ounce) several times a week, and don't forget to eat other flavonoid-rich foods such as apples, red wine, tea, onions and cranberries.