Chocolate May Be Good

Chocolate may be good for your health.

No, really.

Chocolate may contribute to a healthy diet and could be one of your dietary weapons for fighting cancer and heart disease, according to scientific research.

The latest research presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions shows a connection between some chocolates and improved blood vessel function, which is essential to cardiovascular health much like cholesterol levels or blood pressure.

But hold on! Before you race to the grocery store, consider this: That delectable delight at the checkout line may not necessarily have those healthful properties.

Flavanols: the secret ingredient

Normal body functions such as breathing or physical activity - and poor lifestyle habits such as smoking - produce substances called free radicals that attack healthy cells. When cells are weakened, they are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate, contains flavanols, which are naturally occurring antioxidants. Antioxidants may help ward off cancer and cardiovascular problems by mopping up free radicals.

Antioxidants are found in some fruits and vegetables, green and black teas, red wine, and other foods.

Scientists believe flavanols function in a variety of ways. The research supporting chocolate flavanols' role in cardiovascular health may show flavanol benefits other than strictly antioxidant.

For example, cocoa flavanols have a positive effect on the way blood platelets function. This effect may have nothing to do with antioxidant activity, though exact mechanisms have not been confirmed.

"This news catches people off guard. If it's oatmeal, then that makes sense to most people. But here's a product that is contradicting popular suspicions -- chocolate can actually be good for you when it's rich in flavanols," says Carl L. Keen, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Nutrition and professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of California at Davis.

In addition to flavanols, cocoa contains magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. Dark chocolate has the most flavanols, although researchers aren't sure why. And Keen says chocolate on a per calorie basis can have more flavanols than any other food, including fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Keen is reluctant to state flatly that chocolate has flavanols, because some does not. "If you aren't careful how you process the chocolate, you can lose the flavanols," Keen says.

Eat your vegetables anyway

"We want to have phytonutrients in our diet, but the better choice is fruits and vegetables," says Sheah Rarback, M.S., R.D., L.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and director of nutrition at Mailman Center for Child Development in Miami.

She points out that while chocolate can be a part of a healthy diet, people tend to eat too much high-fat foods anyway. That can outweigh any benefits the flavanols in chocolate might have.

The proportion of Americans who are overweight has reached an all-time high of 65 percent, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And being overweight or obese increases the risk for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

To fit a food like chocolate into a healthy diet, you need to cut down on high calorie foods throughout the day. For instance, choosing low fat salad dressing and using less, if any, butter on your baked potato.

"For most people, the calories eaten are in excess of what they require," Rarback says.

Americans barely eat two or three servings of vegetables and fruits in the course of a day, and that's not nearly enough to satisfy nutritional needs, according to the National Cancer Institute. Five servings a day is the minimum. But health experts advise that nine servings should be a healthy goal.

External Sources The American Dietetic Association The National Cancer Institute

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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