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Chocolate lovers, rejoice!
The sweet, delicious treat isn't as evil as you've been told. In fact, the numerous and proven health benefits of indulging in a regular dose of chocolate are guaranteed to blow your mind.
It turns out, chocolate (well, cocoa beans, to be specific) contain more than 300 health-promoting compounds. How's that for a shocker?
It is with great pleasure that I present all of my fellow chocolate lovers with 8 more reasons to guiltlessly inhale that piece of chocolate stashed in the back of the pantry (and I know you have a stash. We all do. It's part of being a choc-o-holic.)
1. Eating chocolate during pregnancy may benefit fetal development and growth
A study conducted on pregnant women found evidence that eating chocolate daily could have a positive impact on the growth and development of the fetus and placenta,
The study consisted of 129 pregnant women "with singleton pregnancy between 11 and 14 weeks gestation who had double-notching on uterine artery Doppler." They were given 30 grams of chocolate daily for 12 weeks.
2. Daily intake of dark chocolate may decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes
Chocolate every day?
Decreasing my risk of heart disease and diabetes has suddenly become a top priority.
Several vascular and heart-protecting benefits have been linked to chocolate consumption, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol, decreased risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and atherosclerosis.
The risk of stroke and heart disease was lower for participants in a study who consumed up to 100 grams of chocolate daily (with the average daily intake being 7 grams.)
In an attempt to find out if chocolate consumption was associated with insulin resistance, researchers put together The Observation of Cardiovascular Risk in Luxembourg where they collected data regarding the chocolate consumption of 1,153 participants between the ages of 18 - 69.
The data revealed that 81.8% of participants consumed chocolate, with an average consumption of 24.8 grams daily.
The study authors discovered that the participants who ate chocolate had reduced insulin resistance and improved liver enzymes compared to the non-chocolate eaters.
Guess what the other shocking finding was? Supposedly, the higher the chocolate consumption, the better the effects.
3. People who consume chocolate are more physically active, younger, and more educated than their counterparts, according to the same study (mentioned above) that discovered chocolate's ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Out of the 1,153 participants who were part of the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk study, those who ate chocolate were more educated, younger, and more physically active than the non-chocolate-eating folks.
4. High chocolate consumption lowers stroke risk in females
I know, it just keeps getting better, right?
33,372 Swedish women were followed for a decade as part of a study. Women who ate Swedish milk chocolate showed a significant reduction in stroke risk compared to the non-chocolate eaters.
According to the study's author, Professor Susanna Larsson, even a small amount of chocolate had an impact on stroke risk.
Larsson says that she expects the results to be similar for men.
5. Chocolate Boosts Endurance and Athletic Performance
Eating dark chocolate helps people effectively exercise longer and it boosts overall performance levels.
Chocolate (or more specifically, the flavanol epicatechin found in cocoa) increases the body's nitric oxide production, which is believed to be responsible for the improvements in athletic performance, according to the author of a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
The study consisting of nine amateur cyclists showed that eating dark chocolate enhanced their performance. After eating dark chocolate, the participants "cycled further in a two-minute flat-out time trial and used less oxygen when cycling at moderate pace."
6. Chocolate Boosts Brain Performance
One study found that people who ate chocolate once weekly performed better on cognitive tasks than those who rarely or never consumed chocolate.
The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study analyzed the chocolate intake of participants over a 30-year time period. The study consisted of 968 dementia-free people between the ages of 23-98 whose cognitive function was tested via visual-spatial memory and organization (the ability to understand and remember spatial relations among objects), working memory (the ability to process new and existing information), verbal memory (the ability to remember words and other factors related to language) and scanning and tracking (the ability to focus on specific objects).
Interestingly, the study author stated that while different chocolate contains different antioxidant and flavanol content, the benefits may not be limited to just dark chocolate. Milk chocolate lovers, rejoice!
A subsequent study showed drinking your cocoa (two cups a day, to be exact) prevents memory decline.
Additionally, people who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week had their risk of 4 of the 5 most common killer diseases (cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart failure) decreased to less than 10%. The study compared the island-based Kuna people who drank cocoa to the Panama mainlanders who didn't drink it.
7. Chocolate Lifts Your Mood
You
probably learned what a blissful experience it can be to indulge in a bar of chocolate but this benefit is worthy of making the
list: Serotonin,
dopamine, and phenylethylamine are well known for their mood-improving
capabilities, and guess what contains this heavenly trio? Yep, it's
cocoa beans!
8. Chocolate may protect you from obesity
Now that's a real shocker when we've been told that chocolate does the exact opposite! Chocolate prevented mice from gaining weight and even lowered their blood sugar levels, according to a study published in the Journal of Agriculture Food and Chemistry.
How Can Chocolate Be Healthy?
While chocolate's newly discovered health benefits come as a shock, you might could guess how chocolate prevents disease.
Yep, it's the antioxidants (specifically, the flavanoids and flavanols like oligomeric procyandins and epicatechin) found in chocolate that get the credit. The importance of antioxidants for our health has been well-established. They are able to prevent some cell damage caused by free radicals, which are believed to contribute to everything from cancer to heart disease. In other words, antioxidants help us prevent sickness and disease by reducing the damage to our cells.
The antioxidants like those found in cocoa beans are beneficial for heart disease because they lower the cell damage. They also help lower blood pressure, improve vascular function, and improve blood flow to the brain, which explains chocolate's ability to improve our cognitive function.
Notes:
1. I feel it's important to do the disclaimer-thing and make it clear that the message is not to condone over-indulgence of chocolate. Even Professor Stranges -- who led the study in #2 and 3 -- emphasizes on the fact that chocolate that contains natural cocoa is different (healthier) than the processed chocolate, which is high in fat and calories. The good news is, natural cocoa is showing up more and more in the candy aisles.
P.S. If you're looking for healthier alternatives to satisfy your chocolate craving, check out a few favorites below
You can read a review on the Nutiva Naturals Cacao Nibs here.
2. You must also remember that these studies are showing that moderate amounts of chocolate can have positive benefits, not excessive consumption. It should also be repeated that the specific chocolate that was found to have benefits was dark chocolate. I'm not as big of a fan of dark chocolate as I am milk chocolate, but hey, I'll take it!
So, next time someone rags you about having chocolate, just tell them you're improving your health. And you might want to direct them to the evidence that backs your claims because chances are, they'll think you're crazy.
Sources/citations
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. "The benefits of chocolate during pregnancy." http://www.smfmnewsroom.org/2016/02/the-benefits-of-chocolate-during-pregnancy/
Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study, Saverio Stranges et al., British Journal of Nutrition, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516000702
Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, Georgie Crichton et al., Appetite, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.010, published online 10 February 2016.
Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate intensity cycling, Rishikesh Kankesh Patel et al., The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0106-7, published 15 December 2015.
Mayo Clinic, Chocolate, 18 June 2015.
Does Flavanol Intake Influence Mortality from Nitric Oxide-Dependent Processes? Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cancer in Panama.http://www.medsci.org/v04p0053
Vicente Bayard, Fermina Chamorro, Jorge Motta, Norman K. Hollenberg.
Int. J. Med. Sci. 2007, 4: 53-58
Oligomeric Cocoa Procyanidins Possess Enhanced Bioactivity Compared to Monomeric and Polymeric Cocoa Procyanidins for Preventing the Development of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Impaired Glucose Tolerance during High-Fat Feeding, DOI: 10.1021/jf500333y, Andrew P. Neilso et al., published in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, 24 February 2014. Abstract
 |
| Photo credit: Judy van der Velden |
It turns out, chocolate (well, cocoa beans, to be specific) contain more than 300 health-promoting compounds. How's that for a shocker?
It is with great pleasure that I present all of my fellow chocolate lovers with 8 more reasons to guiltlessly inhale that piece of chocolate stashed in the back of the pantry (and I know you have a stash. We all do. It's part of being a choc-o-holic.)
1. Eating chocolate during pregnancy may benefit fetal development and growth
 |
| Photo credit: Christian Glatz |
The study consisted of 129 pregnant women "with singleton pregnancy between 11 and 14 weeks gestation who had double-notching on uterine artery Doppler." They were given 30 grams of chocolate daily for 12 weeks.
2. Daily intake of dark chocolate may decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes
Chocolate every day?
Decreasing my risk of heart disease and diabetes has suddenly become a top priority.
 |
| Photo credit: Visual Arts |
Several vascular and heart-protecting benefits have been linked to chocolate consumption, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol, decreased risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and atherosclerosis.
The risk of stroke and heart disease was lower for participants in a study who consumed up to 100 grams of chocolate daily (with the average daily intake being 7 grams.)
In an attempt to find out if chocolate consumption was associated with insulin resistance, researchers put together The Observation of Cardiovascular Risk in Luxembourg where they collected data regarding the chocolate consumption of 1,153 participants between the ages of 18 - 69.
The data revealed that 81.8% of participants consumed chocolate, with an average consumption of 24.8 grams daily.
The study authors discovered that the participants who ate chocolate had reduced insulin resistance and improved liver enzymes compared to the non-chocolate eaters.
Guess what the other shocking finding was? Supposedly, the higher the chocolate consumption, the better the effects.
3. People who consume chocolate are more physically active, younger, and more educated than their counterparts, according to the same study (mentioned above) that discovered chocolate's ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
 |
| Photo credit: Glenn Euloth |
Out of the 1,153 participants who were part of the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk study, those who ate chocolate were more educated, younger, and more physically active than the non-chocolate-eating folks.
 |
| Photo credit: F_A |
I know, it just keeps getting better, right?
33,372 Swedish women were followed for a decade as part of a study. Women who ate Swedish milk chocolate showed a significant reduction in stroke risk compared to the non-chocolate eaters.
According to the study's author, Professor Susanna Larsson, even a small amount of chocolate had an impact on stroke risk.
Larsson says that she expects the results to be similar for men.
5. Chocolate Boosts Endurance and Athletic Performance
Eating dark chocolate helps people effectively exercise longer and it boosts overall performance levels.
Chocolate (or more specifically, the flavanol epicatechin found in cocoa) increases the body's nitric oxide production, which is believed to be responsible for the improvements in athletic performance, according to the author of a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
 |
| Photo credit: Henry |
The study consisting of nine amateur cyclists showed that eating dark chocolate enhanced their performance. After eating dark chocolate, the participants "cycled further in a two-minute flat-out time trial and used less oxygen when cycling at moderate pace."
6. Chocolate Boosts Brain Performance
One study found that people who ate chocolate once weekly performed better on cognitive tasks than those who rarely or never consumed chocolate.
 |
| Photo credit: Laura Dahl |
The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study analyzed the chocolate intake of participants over a 30-year time period. The study consisted of 968 dementia-free people between the ages of 23-98 whose cognitive function was tested via visual-spatial memory and organization (the ability to understand and remember spatial relations among objects), working memory (the ability to process new and existing information), verbal memory (the ability to remember words and other factors related to language) and scanning and tracking (the ability to focus on specific objects).
Interestingly, the study author stated that while different chocolate contains different antioxidant and flavanol content, the benefits may not be limited to just dark chocolate. Milk chocolate lovers, rejoice!
 |
| Kuşadası @ Travel Turkey - Turkish Coffee |
A subsequent study showed drinking your cocoa (two cups a day, to be exact) prevents memory decline.
Additionally, people who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week had their risk of 4 of the 5 most common killer diseases (cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart failure) decreased to less than 10%. The study compared the island-based Kuna people who drank cocoa to the Panama mainlanders who didn't drink it.
7. Chocolate Lifts Your Mood
 |
| Photo credit: Andre Kongevold |
8. Chocolate may protect you from obesity
 |
| Photo credit: Peter Forret |
Now that's a real shocker when we've been told that chocolate does the exact opposite! Chocolate prevented mice from gaining weight and even lowered their blood sugar levels, according to a study published in the Journal of Agriculture Food and Chemistry.
How Can Chocolate Be Healthy?
While chocolate's newly discovered health benefits come as a shock, you might could guess how chocolate prevents disease.
Yep, it's the antioxidants (specifically, the flavanoids and flavanols like oligomeric procyandins and epicatechin) found in chocolate that get the credit. The importance of antioxidants for our health has been well-established. They are able to prevent some cell damage caused by free radicals, which are believed to contribute to everything from cancer to heart disease. In other words, antioxidants help us prevent sickness and disease by reducing the damage to our cells.
The antioxidants like those found in cocoa beans are beneficial for heart disease because they lower the cell damage. They also help lower blood pressure, improve vascular function, and improve blood flow to the brain, which explains chocolate's ability to improve our cognitive function.
Notes:
1. I feel it's important to do the disclaimer-thing and make it clear that the message is not to condone over-indulgence of chocolate. Even Professor Stranges -- who led the study in #2 and 3 -- emphasizes on the fact that chocolate that contains natural cocoa is different (healthier) than the processed chocolate, which is high in fat and calories. The good news is, natural cocoa is showing up more and more in the candy aisles.
P.S. If you're looking for healthier alternatives to satisfy your chocolate craving, check out a few favorites below
You can read a review on the Nutiva Naturals Cacao Nibs here.
2. You must also remember that these studies are showing that moderate amounts of chocolate can have positive benefits, not excessive consumption. It should also be repeated that the specific chocolate that was found to have benefits was dark chocolate. I'm not as big of a fan of dark chocolate as I am milk chocolate, but hey, I'll take it!
So, next time someone rags you about having chocolate, just tell them you're improving your health. And you might want to direct them to the evidence that backs your claims because chances are, they'll think you're crazy.
Sources/citations
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. "The benefits of chocolate during pregnancy." http://www.smfmnewsroom.org/2016/02/the-benefits-of-chocolate-during-pregnancy/
Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study, Saverio Stranges et al., British Journal of Nutrition, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516000702
Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, Georgie Crichton et al., Appetite, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.02.010, published online 10 February 2016.
Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate intensity cycling, Rishikesh Kankesh Patel et al., The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0106-7, published 15 December 2015.
CChocolate Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women
doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.07.023
2011;58;1828-1829
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.
Susanna C. Larsson, Jarmo Virtamo, and Alicja Wolk http://www.medpagetoday.com/upload/2011/10/10/1828.pdf
Mayo Clinic, Chocolate, 18 June 2015.
Does Flavanol Intake Influence Mortality from Nitric Oxide-Dependent Processes? Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cancer in Panama.http://www.medsci.org/v04p0053
Vicente Bayard, Fermina Chamorro, Jorge Motta, Norman K. Hollenberg.
Int. J. Med. Sci. 2007, 4: 53-58
Oligomeric Cocoa Procyanidins Possess Enhanced Bioactivity Compared to Monomeric and Polymeric Cocoa Procyanidins for Preventing the Development of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Impaired Glucose Tolerance during High-Fat Feeding, DOI: 10.1021/jf500333y, Andrew P. Neilso et al., published in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, 24 February 2014. Abstract
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