Q: Is chocolate good for me (I hope)?
A: Some studies show that chocolate – or at least some of the components of chocolate – might, in fact, have health benefits. These benefits, however, have not been proven at this point, and further research is needed to understand the role of chocolate in health.
Some small studies have shown that dark chocolate and other cocoa products might, in fact, improve blood pressure. Researchers aren't exactly sure what components of chocolate creates this effect. One thought is that there are specific phytochemicals (plant chemicals) in dark chocolate that have a good effect on our blood vessels.
But researchers and doctors warn us that we should not start eating lots of chocolate as a result of a few studies. They remind us that the chocolate products used in research studies are specially prepared and contain the good qualities of chocolate without the bad qualities. The chocolate that we can buy in the grocery or drug store is usually high in fats and oils, which can lead to health problems if consumed regularly over a long period of time.
In addition, not all chocolate products that you buy in a store contain the good components, such as phytochemicals. But researchers are trying to identify and isolate the good components of chocolate to create chocolate products without the high fat and high-sugar content and calories.
How Much?
Another problem: No one knows for sure how much chocolate one has to eat or drink to see reported health benefits. Research has shown that certain people from other cultures who eat or drink large amounts of chocolate on a daily basis have lower blood pressure compared to the rest of the world even as they grow older. Researchers in Boston looked at the habits of the Kuna Indians on live on an island off of Panama. Bearing in mind that the Kuna Indians tend to have lower blood pressure as a population anyway, the researchers found that these people generally drink more than five cups of cocoa per day! Another small, Italian study showed that healthy people who consumed large amounts (480 calories of chocolate) per day of chocolate also had lower blood pressure.
Chocolate might have medicinal properties, but don't go overboard on the chocolate during the holidays! Much more research is needed to understand the ways in which chocolate may be healthy for us…but we can always have hope! |
