Chocolate lovers everywhere grow more enthusiastic as study after study suggests chocolate provides some amazing health benefits. But are chocoholics just looking for an excuse to indulge, or is there enough health evidence to consider chocolate a health food?
According to Debra Miller, Ph.D., and Co-Director of The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, nutritionists are starting to take notice of the mounting evidence in favor of chocolate being added to the list of health foods.
“Hundreds of dieticians recommend a piece of chocolate daily,” she exclaims. And with more than 250 studies surrounding the positive benefits of chocolate in the last decade, the evidence is hard to miss.
Miller says that nutritionists are particularly interested in the cardiovascular benefits of chocolate, which she considers the top health benefit of chocolate. A number of studies have established that chocolate — particularly dark chocolate — lowers blood pressure, improves endothelial function and lowers cholesterol levels, all of which benefit cardiovascular health and decrease your risk of heart disease.
While most of the research has focused on the heart benefits of chocolate some lesser known benefits also deserve mention. Improved endothelial function means improved blood flow, and therefore more oxygen and vital nutrients are transported to the brain. This suggests chocolate may improve cognitive functioning.
Emerging research also suggests that chocolate improves insulin sensitivity and has been associated with a healthier lower Body Mass Index, decreasing diabetes and obesity risk.
Chocolate is one of the most concentrated flavanol foods, which is considered by many to be the most important nutrient it contains. Cocoa flavanols are potent antioxidants that stimulate nitric oxide production in the blood vessels’ lining, or endothelium. Once there it improves blood flow, prevents fatty deposits from building up in blood vessels and maintains the elasticity of blood vessels.
Chocolate is a significant source of fat and calories, so moderation is the key. “The darker chocolate will deliver more of the bioactives for less calories,” Miller says. To get the benefits of cocoa, she suggests one to two tablespoons of natural cocoa powder, or 20 grams of dark chocolate-with at least 60 percent cacao content-as a daily serving size.
Surprisingly, chocolate is considered a cholesterol-neutral food, despite being high in saturated fat. About one-third of the fat in chocolate is stearic acid, which doesn’t raise bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.
In moderation, chocolate can be part of a healthy diet and be considered a health food — especially dark chocolate. Combining chocolate with other foods may enhance the health benefits of chocolate. Miller says this aspect of chocolate needs to be explored further, but it is likely “very beneficial to put a diet together that includes seeds, berries, nuts and the cocoa fruit.”
