You have undoubtedly heard all the buzz about how dark chocolate is now considered a health food. Is it true? Can you have your chocolate and eat it too?
All the attention given to dark chocolate stems from an Italian study that looked at 10 men and 10 women. All 20 participants had hypertension, with readings between 140-159 systolic and 90-99 diastolic.
None of the group took drugs, smoked, had diabetes, or any other diseases. The week before the study, all subjects avoided all chocolate and flavonoid-rich foods. During the next 15 days, 10 ate a 3.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate per day, while the control group ate the same amount of white chocolate. White chocolate was the perfect control. It is identical to dark chocolate, except it does not have the beneficial flavonoids.
After only 15 days, the average systolic/diastolic blood pressure dropped by 12/9 mm in the dark chocolate group. That is a huge drop in blood pressure in just over two weeks. If the drug companies found that kind of drop from one of their pills, they would make huge noise about it.
What I found especially interesting was that insulin resistance improved in the dark chocolate group. But that was not all. LDL (bad) cholesterol dropped by about 10% in the dark chocolate group. There were no beneficial effects of any kind seen in the white chocolate group.
Action to take: You know how conscientious I am about what I put in my body. But I’ve admitted to you in the past that I have a few indulgences. One is dark chocolate. If you want to enjoy eating something sweet besides fruit, this is it.
I may eat one to three dark chocolate bars per week, provided its organic and has a cocoa content of at least 72%. This greatly reduces the sweetness. Cocoa is where the good stuff (flavonoids) comes from and chocolate is also a source of magnesium. What a great way to satisfy your sweets craving! Look for a brand that is totally organic in your local health food store.
Ref: Journal of the American Heart Association, July 18, 2005.