Can Chocolate Give You a Nutritional Boost?
By Teresa Ambord
Is it true what you've heard about chocolate? When word first came out that chocolate might have some redeeming health value, it was like the shot heard round the world. Chocolate lovers everywhere perked up their ears.
Well, the evidence is in, and it does seem to be true that some chocolate adds to nutrition by introducing high levels of antioxidants.
"Heart Watch", the newsletter of the New England Journal of Medicine reports there is substantial research to suggest that cocoa modestly benefits heart health.
Chocolate, it seems, is rich in antioxidants which protect heart cells. Pure cocoa has the highest level of antioxidants (especially if it is consumed hot) followed by dark chocolate, then milk chocolate. White chocolate has no antioxidants. Dark or milk chocolate, when consumed with milk, appear to lose the antioxidant benefits.
How Do Antioxidants Improve Health Your Health?
Various antioxidants have different functions, but the common key appears to be the ability to protect cells, prevent disease, and even fight aging. Research has shown that antioxidants in chocolate help improve health in these ways:
- They help lower the levels of free-radicals in the bloodstream. Free radicals are linked to cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer when exposure is high and prolonged.
- They reduce blood platelet "stickiness" that causes clotting, much the same way that aspirin serves to thin the blood. Clotting can trigger heart attacks and strokes.
- They improve vascular function. The ability of the heart vessels to relax is key to helping prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, and clogged arteries. Antioxidants in chocolate increase production of nitric acid which allows the heart vessels to relax.
- They raise the level of good HDL cholesterol. Antioxidants in chocolate help to block the chemical changes in the bad LDL cholesterol that can lead to clogged arteries. In fact, there is evidence that the antioxidants in chocolate are more efficient at detoxifying LDL than vitamin C is.
It is unclear what level of antioxidants are needed in the body. But researchers say that adding a cup of hot cocoa to your diet once in a while provides healthful benefits. Of course, if you wish to limit your intake of sugar, there are some excellent sugar-free cocoa products on the market.
Other Antioxidant Sources
Antioxidants are also present in red wine and hot tea, but in lower levels. Studies showed that cocoa contains twice the antioxidants that red wine has, two to three times the amount in green tea, and four to five times the amount in black tea.
Some doctors who have studied this subject say that consuming dark chocolate or cocoa in small amounts is okay, as long as you eat an otherwise healthy diet and the calories do not create a problem. But in general, doctors prefer that you get your antioxidants from fruits and nuts. And they stress the point that, as tasty as it is, chocolate is not a substitute for fruits and vegetables, though it can be incorporated into a healthy eating plan.