Indulging in a piece of chocolate may not be so bad after all. Scientific research suggests that eating a chunk of dark chocolate each week can reduce your risk factors for heart disease and even death. But while nibbling on chocolate has its heart-health benefits, experts say that more research is necessary before boosting your chocolate intake. Until then, eat chocolate in moderation and choose heart-healthy foods that help prevent heart disease.
Antioxidant Properties
Chocolate is rich in flavanols, a group of naturally occurring chemicals, and a type of flavonoid that has antioxidant effects. Antioxidants help protect your body's cells from free radicals, harmful substances that can accumulate in your body and cause disease. However, experts say that not all chocolate contains the same amount of these powerful chemicals. Milk chocolate and other commercial chocolates have fewer flavanols than dark chocolate. Processing of commercial chocolate removes most existing flavanols.
Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Flavanols in chocolate are known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. A review of scientific studies by Steffen Desch and colleagues in the January 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Hypertension" found that consuming cocoa products such as dark chocolate lowered systolic blood pressure, the top number of your blood pressure reading, by 4.5 millimeters of mercury, or mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number of your blood pressure reading, by 2.5 mmHg. Similarly, a study by Seigo Baba and colleagues in the June 2007 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition" found LDL, or "bad", cholesterol levels fell by up to 5 percent in people who had 13 g or more of cocoa powder, a main ingredient in chocolate, over a four-week period.
Blood Flow and Heart Attack
Preliminary research suggests that chocolate can improve heart health by boosting blood flow to the heart, reducing blood clotting and preventing the buildup of plaque along artery walls. A November 2007 study by Andreas J. Flammer and colleagues in the journal "Circulation" noted relaxation and widening of the heart's major blood vessels two hours after study subjects ate 40 g of chocolate. The authors reported improved blood flow and less blood clotting in those who ate the chocolate compared to those who had not. Narrowing of vessels or a blood clot can cause a heart attack. A study in the July 2010 issue of the "European Heart Journal" suggests chocolate may also reduce the risk of a heart attack. According to the researchers, people who ate 6 g of a chocolate bar each day were 39 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Heart Disease and Heart Failure
Consuming chocolate can reduce your risk of heart disease and heart failure. Eating chocolate at least five times each week can more than halve your risk of heart disease, Luc Djousse and colleagues report in an April 2011 issue of the journal "Clinical Nutrition." What's more, eating chocolate twice or more each week when you've already had a heart attack may lower your risk of dying from heart disease by 66 percent, according to a study in the September 2009 issue of the "Journal of Internal Medicine." These benefits also extend to heart failure. A study by Elizabeth Mostofsky and colleagues in a September 2010 issue of "Circulation Heart Failure" found women who ate up to two servings of chocolate per week had a 32 percent lower risk of heart failure.
Expert Advice
While chocolate may have benefits, experts caution against indulging in too much chocolate. Commercial chocolate is high in fat and calories and, in excessive amounts, can boost weight gain and your risk of heart disease. Choose dark chocolate, and eat chocolate in moderation.