Valentine’s Day
is a big chocolate holiday. With the frequent
chocolate-is-good-for-you stories in the media we might think we are doing our
health a favor by digging into a box of chocolates. But, is chocolate really good for us? Pure cocoa bean powder, the nonfat portion of
the bean is rich in healthy antioxidant flavanols. However, the amount of pure cocoa in your
favorite chocolaty treats is likely not enough to help your health while the
amount of cocoa butter (the fat component of the cocao bean), fats and sugar
does add up to a serious serving of calories and cholesterol raising saturated
fats.
The cocao bean
is one of the richest food sources of a group of plant substances called
flavanols. Other foods, such as tea, red
wine, berries, and some fruits, especially the skins of apples, contain flavanols
but none is as high concentrations as the cocoa bean. Chocolate, as we know it, is a combination of
cocoa bean powder, cocoa butter and other fats, and sugar. In the finished product, there is actually
not that much cocoa bean powder. And, unfortunately,
the flavanol content takes a hit when raw cocoa beans are converted into
chocolate. How big a hit depends on how the cocoa is processed.
A closer look at
the research on chocolate & health…
© Blood Flow: There is good evidence that consumption of
large amounts of flavanols consistently improves blood vessel wall function in
individuals regardless of whether they are young and healthy or have coronary
artery disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. It appears that flavanols increase the body's
ability to synthesize nitric oxide, which triggers the dilation (relaxing) of
arteries and allows for increased blood flow.
When arteries do not dilate but are stiff the heart has to work harder. In
a study funded by chocolate maker Hershey, researchers found that blood flow in
the arteries increased within two hours after older people consumed high doses of
flavanols (180, 465, or 1,095 mg), but not in those who got 70 mg.
© Blood pressure. A 2012 review of 15 randomized controlled
trials that lasted from 2 to 18 weeks concluded that a high consumption of flavanols
(an average of 560mg per day which is equivalent to the amount in almost 3
Hershey's Dark Chocolate bars) can lower blood pressure by 2-3 mm Hg in the
short term.
© Weight Loss: There
have been some observational surveys that have sampled individuals and found
that those who weigh less also report consuming more chocolate. This has led some to conclude that chocolate
helps with weight loss. However when the
persons in the studies who have a weight-associated illness such as diabetes or
heart disease are excluded from the analysis, the association of chocolate
eating with less weight disappears.
Researchers hypothesize heavier participants are eating less chocolate
because they're trying to eat healthier given their health problems.
And, in studies
that happen over a period of time, the opposite trend emerges – with higher
chocolate consumption comes more weight gain.
For example, more than 12,000 U.S. residents aged 45-64 were weighed in
the late 1980s and were asked, among other things, how often they ate a serving
of chocolate. Six years later, they were weighed and asked about chocolate
again. In this study over time, greater chocolate consumption was linked to
greater weight gain and those eating the most chocolate gained the most
weight. People who consumed just an
ounce of chocolate at least once a week gained an average of 2.4 pounds over
the six years.
Getting your
flavanols fix...
So, while
getting at least 200mg of flavanols per day can improve blood flow and blood
pressure, eating chocolate will not necessarily add that many flavanols to your
diet because processing cocoa beans destroys flavanols. How much is lost
depends on the beans and the processing. Labeling a chocolate bar as
having, say, “70% cacao” is not a reliable guide to the amount of flavanols
because one cannot tell how heavily that cocoa was fermented or processed, both
of which destroy flavanols.
How to get 200
mg? Two ounces of dark chocolate would probably do but keep in mind it comes with an average of more than 300 calories. Many cocoa mixes contain cocoa that has been
"processed with alkali" (also called "Dutch-process")
and this process effectively destroys the all flavanol content. Milk chocolate has less cocoa and more sugar
than dark chocolate, so it would take 10 ½ oz. (almost 1,600 calories' worth)
to give you 200 mg of flavanols!
A better calorie
option is half an ounce of baking chocolate for 70 calories or two tablespoons of an
unsweetened pure cocoa powder (like Hershey's or Nestle Toll House, which have
around 20 calories). Try mixing these into your coffee, warm milk, oatmeal, or
yogurt. Also, Mexican mole sauces are a flavorful way to incorporate unsweetened cocoa into your diet.
Article adapted
from: Nutrition Action Healthletter, December 2013, pg.8-11.
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