Photo Credit: NIH News in Health
Valentine’s Day is a favorite holiday among chocolate lovers. The creamy sweetness of milk chocolate has made it one of the most popular candies in this country for more than a century. The fat and sugar in milk chocolate makes it so delectable, we tend to have too much too often. Sadly, eating a milk chocolate bar a few times a week increases our risk of obesity and diabetes. But chocolate lovers, take heart: The good news is that recent studies have found that dark chocolate is actually good for our health!
Dark chocolate is made of 50-90% cocoa solids, as compared to 10-50% in milk chocolate. Cocoa solids contain a plant chemical called flavanol, which has a surprising number of health benefits. Flavanols stimulate the release of nitric oxide in the lining of our blood vessels, causing them to vasodilate, or expand. This results in better blood flow to all our organs, notably to cardiac muscle, which minimizes the risk of heart attack. The brain also benefits, with better cognition and possible protection against Parkinson’s disease. Vasodilation also can lower blood pressure.
Flavanols have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and have been found to lower skin cancer risk and protect the skin from aging due to UV damage. Flavanols increase insulin sensitivity, which has a protective effect against diabetes.
Finally, flavanols have a positive impact on mood. A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in January 2022 found that participants who ate an ounce of 85% dark chocolate daily reported a better overall mood than those who ate either no chocolate, or dark chocolate with less cocoa.
Cocoa solids are high in fiber (4 grams/ounce), rich in minerals like zinc, phosphorus and magnesium, and contain no milk products, which is important to those who are vegan or lactose intolerant.
Dark chocolate has as much total fat as milk chocolate, but contains a much higher proportion of oleic and stearic acids, the so-called “good fats” that can bring down low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), or “bad cholesterol,” protecting us from heart disease.
What is the down side of dark chocolate? It is fattening, so moderation is the key: Don’t have more than one to two ounces daily, the equivalent of three thin squares from a big bar. That’s not a lot, so consider saving it for the end of a meal and slowly savor it!
For those sensitive to caffeine, two ounces of dark chocolate has as much caffeine as half of a cup of coffee, which may lead to palpitations and heartburn.
There is new evidence suggesting that some dark chocolate brands contain high levels of cadmium and lead (also found in baking soda, cocoa powder, and sunflower seeds), another reason to moderate your daily intake. Pregnant women may want to consider limiting their chocolate fix to twice a week.
Experts concur that the health benefit of dark chocolate is felt to outweigh the risk, as long as you don’t eat too much of it! More information can be found with the National Institute of Health.
Mary Jenkins is recently retired after nearly 40 years as a family practice physician in New York state.