Chocoholics, Take Heart: The Food of Love has Some Health Benefits

By: Amy Bertrand (KRT)
Posted In: Entertainment

Feeling guilty about that box of chocolates you have just sitting there on your kitchen table?

Chocolate has long been seen as an indulgence for most of us, a guilty secret for others and a complete addiction for some. It can seem to hold a special power over us. A bite is never enough; a box is a nice start.

“People just love chocolate,” says Jean R. Caton, who has a master’s degree in nutrition and owns My Food Coach, a nutrition company in St. Louis. “It’s delicious. It’s the food of the gods. It symbolizes indulgence, and it’s really a comfort food.”

Americans consume about 3 billion pounds of chocolate a year, according to the Chocolate Manufacturers of America, a Virginia-based trade group.

Recent research has shown that chocolate may not be all that bad for us. But let’s start with what we know. Chocolate has a considerable amount of fat and calories. A regular-size (1.55 ounces) Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, for example, has 230 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 25 grams of carbs and 22 grams of sugar.

“It’s the sugar in the chocolate bar that isn’t good for you (and it can cause tooth decay),” says Caton. “And a small piece goes a long way toward your calories and fat for the day.”

That said, “All foods can fit into a healthy diet. Just have small portion sizes, recognizing that the calories are there. If you get some health benefits out of it, you get a bonus.”

Recent research has shown that chocolate is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. These plant-based compounds limit the effects of lipoprotein (LDL) components in the harmful kind of cholesterol (so-called “bad cholesterol”). Antioxidants are known for mopping up free radicals that damage the body; in recent studies they have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Recently, a German study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that eating dark chocolate can even lower your blood pressure.

Caton and Camilla Kotrba, a registered dietitian in private practice in Richmond Heights and a lecturer at Washington University, say the fat in chocolate does not appear to affect cholesterol levels.

“There is absolutely no health problem with chocolate,” says Kotrba. “There is fat in chocolate, but the type of fat does not appear to raise blood fats, so it’s really not that bad for you.”

Chocolate does contain caffeine, but not much. One ounce of milk chocolate usually contains 5 mg of caffeine, 1 ounce of semi-sweet usually has 5 to 10 mg, and a 6-ounce cup of cocoa usually has 10 mg. For comparison, a 6-ounce cup of coffee contains 100 to 150 mg.

There’s a belief, especially in preteen circles, that chocolate causes acne. “That’s just a myth,” says Caton. “I don’t think there’s any research to support that.”

So once you’ve decided the fats aren’t bad, the caffeine isn’t too much, and it doesn’t cause acne, what kind of chocolate should you indulge in?

Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than milk chocolate, and white chocolate doesn’t have any, says Caton. “A colorful diet is healthy eating,” she says. “It’s like sweet potatoes (which are full of nutrients) and white potatoes (not so full of nutrients).”

Oh, and get the expensive stuff, says Caton. “The higher-quality chocolate tends to be higher in antioxidants; it has less additives.”

Kotrba agrees: “Chocolate is a wonderful food with a very rich history, and it’s a much-loved food. You should enjoy it because it tastes delicious.”

___

Chocolate has these qualities:

Theobromine: Theobromine dilates pupils, prepares muscles for action and makes your liver release sugar into the bloodstream for extra energy.

Phenylethylamine (PEA): Cocoa contains PEA, which can elevate the mood, raise the heart rate and boost energy. The brain appears to produce more PEA when we’re in love.

Endorphins: Beta endorphins can function as natural painkillers and mood elevators. Chocolate causes the brain to release endorphins.

Anandamide: Chocolate can have a pleasant, calming effect, as N-acylethanolamines are produced in your brain and present in chocolate.

___

2004, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.