Chocolate Is Healthy

While it was generally known that foods rich in flavanols like chocolate are good for heart health, this study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences established a direct link between flavanol-rich chocolate and cardiovascular benefits.

“The study relied on volunteers from the Kuna Indians, who live on the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama. High blood pressure and other signs of cardiovascular disease are rare among the Kuna. And they are known to consume large amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa—three to four cups a day.

Previous studies found that Kuna who migrated to the suburbs of Panama City on the mainland drink only about four cups of cocoa per week and do not enjoy the same level of cardiovascular health.

The islanders have twice the level of urinary nitric oxide, a chemical associated with healthy flow of blood through the arteries. And those who drank cocoa with more flavanols had higher levels of nitric oxide.

Also, higher levels of epicatechin in the bloodstream were accompanied by improved blood flow. Lab tests showed that flavanols allow vascular tissue to relax.”

Secret to Chocolate’s Heart Benefits Found | LiveScience.

This is one of the more compelling and comprehensible studies out there on the effects of dark chocolate on health. The study involved providing chocolate with flavonoids to one group of test participants and chocolate without flavonoids to the other.  Studies have shown that flavonoids have antioxidant activities as well as anti-allergen, anti-cancer and other beneficial effects.  This study was designed to examine the potential effects of chocolate’s flavonoids on blood vessels.  They determined that over the course of a month, flavonoids had a positive effect on blood flow, not experienced by the test group who didn’t receive flavonoids.

‘All subjects underwent high-tech evaluation of how well the blood vessels dilate and relax — an indictor of healthy blood vessel function. Blood vessel stiffness indicates diseased vessels and possible atherosclerosis. Those who got the full-flavonoid chocolate did significantly better. Why? Blood tests showed that high levels of epicatechin were coursing through their arteries.

“This is the longest clinical trial to date to show improvement in blood vessel function from consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate daily over an extended period of time,” Engler says in a news release. “It is likely that the elevated blood levels of epicatechin triggered the release of active substances that … increase blood flow in the artery. Better blood flow is good for your heart.”

A Dark Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.