Chocolate as Health Food

Can chocolate be sweet for your heart? A growing body of research suggests the answer is a qualified yes.

The latest is a small study done in Italy indicating that eating chocolate could have an effect on blood pressure and protect against diabetes. Participants who ate 100 grams of dark chocolate — equivalent to a little more than two 1.45-ounce Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bars — every day for 15 days had lower blood pressure and improved sensitivity to insulin, meaning they were better able to metabolize blood sugar. Those who ate roughly the same amount of white chocolate every day saw no improvement in these areas.

The compounds in dark chocolate responsible for heart benefits are called flavanols. These substances, which are found in plant-based foods, stimulate production of chemical messengers that help keep the lining of blood vessels healthy, explains Sandra M. Hannum, a research dietitian at the University of Illinois' division of nutritional sciences in Urbana. "Flavanols also delay — but don't stop — blood clotting. So you have less platelet aggregation, which means you're less likely to get a blood clot that might cause a heart attack or stroke," she says. full story

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Good news for dark chocolate addicts like me. harhar. --selzki