Everything I like is either illegal, immoral, or fattening

This is a good news/bad news blog: the good news is that, contrary to the notion that somehow everything we like is bad for us, chocolate is actually beneficial. The bad news is that chocolates aren’t!

Notice the ‘s’ on the end of chocolate: therein lies the tale. Chocolate (and not all chocolate, only the dark kind) has been found to confer numerous health benefits, primarily because of the antioxidants it contains. The darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of flavinols, etc., the better off you’ll be. Within reason! There’s a big caveat here: chocolate contains calories. No big surprise there, but it’s important to bear in mind that recommendations to consume dark chocolate don’t mean that you should scarf down the whole candy store. A small piece (30 grams or one ounce) of dark chocolate every day may be just what the doctor ordered.

A recent long-term study of 470 elderly men (average age 72; I hardly call that elderly) found that regular consumption of flavinol-rich chocolate decreased their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50 percent…and that’s no small potatoes. The researchers measured cocoa intake (not chocolate intake…bear that in mind) and found that those who consumed the greatest amount of cocoa (more than 2.3 grams per day) had significantly better blood-pressure readings than those who consumed the least (less than 0.36 grams per day). The cocoa was supplied in the form of chocolates, cocoa-based desserts and drinks, sandwich fillings and even supplements. They followed the men for fifteen years (imagine having chocolate supplied to you for 15 years) and of the 314 who died during that time, cardiovascular disease killed 152 of them. The big cocoa eaters had half the chance of being among those 152. Not only that, the men with the higher cocoa consumption were 40 percent less likely to die from anything during that period. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you can eat all the cocoa you want, and you’re eventually going to die from something.

Speculation as to what is in cocoa that provides this protection pretty much boils down to the flavinols. Previous research has shown that when the diet is rich in flavinols there is an increase in blood vessal opening called vasodilation, and the cells that line the blood vessels are better behaved. Lower blood pressure was definitely one of the benefits of cocoa consumption. What’s doubly interesting is that there is also research showing that regular milk consumption (three glasses per day) will also lower blood pressure. Who would have guessed that a cup of hot cocoa was a health drink!

But what about the fat in chocolate—a good deal of it being saturated? That’s true—and it brings up an interesting area for discussion. As it turns out, one of the major saturated fatty acids in chocolate is a little beauty called stearic acid. And wadda ya know, stearic acid is one of the predominant saturated fatty acids in beef fat. Stearic acid has no appreciable impact on serum cholesterol, so chocolate is home free heart-health wise. Too bad beef fat can’t be cut the same slack—but that’s a subject for another blog. Having said all that, fat is still fat, and still contains nine calories per gram, which is why it’s still a good idea not to overdo it on the chocolate.

Now then, what about the chocolates with an “s” part of the good news/bad news report? Simply put, when chocolate makers make chocolates they often put in a whole lot of stuff besides cocoa. Sugar, naturally enough, heads the list and isn’t all that surprising an ingredient since most palates prefer a little sweet with their cocoa. Unfortunately, the second ingredient can be hydrogenated coconut oil. Frequent readers of this blog will know that anything with the term “hydrogenated” attached to it is a no-no, but here we have a double whammy since coconut oil is 92 percent saturated. The icing on the cake, so to speak, is that most chocolates (usually the less expensive kind) have less cocoa than desirable in terms of making a significant antioxidant contribution and, to add insult to injury, they give you a hefty dose of trans fatty acids. (On reading this, everyone is supposed to shudder).

Need I say more? The bottom line here is that reasonable amounts of dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa) is a wise health investment. If the Forest Gump in you wants a box of chocolates, read the label and pass up the ones with hydrogenated vegetable oil. As for chocolate bars, remember that processing can destroy some of the antioxidants and all of the aforementioned issues about trans fats still apply. If dark chocolate is your choice, then indulge yourself a bit and if someone scolds you for eating chocolate, remind them that you’re only doing it for medicinal reasons!