No longer simply a delicious snack, dark chocolate is quickly becoming known as a healthy addition to one's diet. Many doctors believe that the health benefits of dark chocolate outweigh the fact that it is high in calories and fat, when consumed properly as part of an overall healthy nutritional program. Studies show that dark chocolate, unlike milk chocolate and white chocolate, has proven effective in fighting chronic diseases that many people suffer.
What Makes Dark Chocolate Healthy?
Dark chocolate does have certain health benefits, says the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in Italy. A team of doctors at the University of Cologne in Germany agree. Dark chocolate comes from plants, so it contains many of the health benefits of the dark vegetables from which it originates. Dark chocolate contains a potent antioxidant called flavanol. Flavanol attacks free radicals in the body. Free radicals are deadly molecules that have been associated with diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Findings by Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome have shown that it is milk that interferes with the absorption of the antioxidants found in dark chocolate. For this reason, white chocolate and milk chocolate do not have the same potency as dark chocolate.
Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
A team of researchers in Germany prepared a study in which men and women between the ages of 55-64 who suffered from mild hypertension consumed 100 grams of dark chocolate for two weeks. Results were significant, showing a considerable drop in blood pressure, while those who ate white chocolate did not show any change in blood pressure readings. Further, another study performed by the same team demonstrated that those participants who consumed dark chocolate by itself had more antioxidants in their bloodstream than the group who consumed dark chocolate with milk.
Italian researchers found that diabetics who consumed dark chocolate were better able to metabolize sugars when consuming small amounts of dark chocolate. Neither white chocolate or milk chocolate had this effect. Other research has shown that dark chocolate reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol found in our bodies, by up to ten percent, as well as aiding in overall heart health.
Doctors caution that because chocolate contains sugar and fat, and is a high-calorie, high-fat food, care should be taken to balance the calories if you decide to incorporate dark chocolate into your diet. One bar of chocolate has about 400 calories, so if one-half a bar is consumed, then it is important to remember to eat 200 calories less that day to adjust for the caloric intake of the chocolate. By using moderation, taking advantage of the health benefits of dark chocolate may be advantageous to one's overall health.
Sources:
BBC News, Chocolate Has Health Benefits, reported 22 March 2005 (Accessed 19 Mar 2010)
DeNoon, Daniel J., Dark Chocolate is Healthy Chocolate, WebMD Health News, 2005-2010, WebMD (Accessed 19 Mar 2010)
Stibich, Mark Ph.D., Health Benefits of Chocolate, About.com Guide, 26 Apr 2009 (Accessed 19 Mar 2010)
Valerie Williams - Valerie Williams resides in the Metro-Atlanta area. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management, and has spent much ...
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