Heart Healthy Benefits of Chocolate - Tips For Choosing Chocolate For Maximum Health

There's a lot of talk lately about chocolate, and the ways it might be a benefit - or detriment - to our health. Just how is chocolate good for us, and what kinds should we use?

Cacao-derivative products have been delicacies and the treats of royalty for centuries, as both drink and food. But it's only in recent years that they have been recognized by science as having distinctly healthy effects. As a chocolate lover, I have been pleased to research the topic and use the information to make chocolate a healthy part of my life. Salud!

What goes into chocolate, and why does it count? As with many foods, the purer the product, the healthier it is for you. The same is true for chocolate. A basic chocolate bar has several main ingredients:

1. Cocoa mass, the actual powdered cacao bean, the base of natural chocolate flavor.
2. Cocoa butter, the fatty substance binding the cocoa mass together.
3. Sugar, used to sweeten the natural bitter flavor of cocoa, and frequently
4. Soy lecithin, an emulsifier.

Which part is good for you? It's the cocoa mass, the chocolate bean itself, which is a good source of fiber and one of the most powerful anti-oxidant foods in the world. That means, the darker, the better. Most chocolate bars now say what percentage is cocoa mass, like thus: 0% for white "chocolate" (cocoa butter), 10% - 25% for milk chocolate, 30% for semi-sweet, 50% for bittersweet, 70% for dark, and of course 100% for pure chocolate. Go for those higher percentages - the lean, dark, hard stuff. (With no cocoa in it at all, white chocolate is obviously the poorest choice for those seeking to lose weight or get healthy - it's all sugar and fat.) Many chocolate bars also have other ingredients: egg, milk, honey, artificial flavors, vanilla, spices. Almonds, walnuts and even peanuts are nutritious additives for you non-allergic, nut-loving types. But be wary of other things found in typical candy bars, like nougat, toffee or caramel, especially in large amounts - it's mostly just sugar and fat!

There's one final consideration: how the cocoa bean powder was processed. If possible, choose chocolate that is unprocessed, or was processed without alkali. Why? An alkaline process, also known as the "dutch process", destroys 95% of the health benefits of cocoa. Yikes! So, dark chocolate this way is like pure apple juice that's been pasteurized - still beneficial, but now lacking most of its enzymes and heat-sensitive vitamins. (A Mars Bar would be like a 1% fruit juice "drink" or soda - very bad for those trying to slim down.) Organic chocolate also goes one-up, using cocoa beans and sugar grown without chemicals.

How exactly does chocolate improve our health?
In an age where heart disease is perhaps the top killer of people in the U.S. today, it's heartening to discover that chocolate in the right form is exceedingly good for - the heart! How so? First, let's look at where chocolate comes from. Chocolate and cocoa powders are a plant product, derived from the beans of the cacao tree. The beans contain large amounts of phytochemicals called flavonoids, compounds that are found almost exclusively in the plant kingdom. It's estimated that there are more than four thousand of them! These chemicals are found not only in cocoa, but also in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine. Various epidemiological studies have shown that populations consuming a diet rich in flavonoids, including moderate amounts of wine, tea and certain fruits and vegetables, have lower rates of heart disease and stroke. This is one reason why eating plenty of fresh foods is important. The specific flavonoids in chocolate receiving the most interest are called procyanidins, which are also present in apples and grapes. Both tea and red wine contain flavonoids called catechins, and it is these that can bind together to make the larger molecules called procyanidins, which are present in the cocoa bean.

How are the flavonoids in chocolate healthy for our bodies, particularly the heart?
Let's discuss a few ways:

1. Superior Antioxidant Protection.
Oxygen is a reactive element in many chemical compounds, including those in our bodies. Molecules that behave (or rather, misbehave!) as thus are known as free radicals, destructive molecules that tend to react with healthy tissues, breaking them down. Literally, we rust, just as oxygen breaks down iron to destroy a machine. Free radicals are implicated in heart disease and other ailments such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Antioxidants are chemicals that attract and bind free radicals into stable molecules, rendering them harmless. Cacao has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food. In short, the flavonoids in chocolate slow down a body's rate of aging, as well as keeping cholesterol in balance. Furthermore, the antioxidants in cocoa and chocolate may help spare other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, which allows them to act longer to fight off reactive molecules and the ravages of natural chemical processes.

2. Reduction of Inflammation.

One research project reported that procyanidins, the flavonoid found in the cocoa bean, can reduce blood levels of leukotrienes, which are a pro-inflammatory chemical. This has positive effects on the immune system. In addition, this benefit could help protect the heart, seeing as inflammation in the lining of the artery walls is believed to be part of the damaging process that leads to cardiovascular disease.

3. Relaxation of Blood Vessel Walls.

Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids may protect the heart by increasing concentrations of a chemical called nitric oxide that relaxes the inner surface of blood vessel walls. This has the effect of increasing dilation of the arteries, which improves blood flow and heart functioning. This function of cocoa and chocolate may help those who have high blood pressure. In fact, a small study found that dark chocolate lowered blood pressure in those with hypertension by twelve points. Researchers also found that fifteen days of dark chocolate intake improved insulin sensitivity (increased glucose uptake). Nitric oxide bioavailability deeply influences insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and flavonoids present in dark chocolate and cocoa increase nitric oxide bioavailability. This same study saw a reduction in blood pressure among participants who consumed dark chocolate.

4. Lowering of LDL, the "bad cholesterol".

Cholesterol levels in the arteries are related to oxidation. Flavonoids, the antioxidants present in cocoa and chocolate, may protect the heart by inhibiting the oxidation of the dangerous cholesterol known as LDL, since oxidized LDL is much more likely to result in the formation of plaque on the artery wall. Studies have shown that as the amount of chocolate flavonoids in the blood increases, there is a corresponding decrease in the markers associated with oxidation damage.

5. Supplies vital Minerals.

Chocolate is highest of all foods in magnesium, a mineral that is very good for the heart, and in all essential in about 300 biological reactions. Not only the heart, but the nerves, muscles, bones, and blood clotting functions depend upon magnesium, and as an added bonus, adequate magnesium intake will regulate your calcium levels even better than you would be able to by taking extra calcium! Thus, the right kind of chocolate will help prevent arthritis and osteoporosis, as well.

6. Reduction of Platelet Blood Cell Activity.

Some studies indicate that after consuming flavonoids in chocolate, there is a decrease in markers associated with platelet blood cell aggregation and adhesion, also known as stickiness of the blood or blood clotting. Both platelet aggregation and adhesion are associated with a higher risk of plaque formation on the artery wall. As plaque formation increases, so does the risk of a heart attack by blocking flow of blood to the heart, also known as atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. Thus, chocolate can behave like aspirin, keeping arteries open and blood thin.

From these benefits, it's clear that eating chocolate is not such a bad thing after all - provided it's the right kind.

Remember to take your chocolate early in the day to prevent caffeine from keeping you up late.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself. Eat too much... and you'll just get a zit!