Dark Chocolate May Have Some Health Benefits
Very dark chocolate made mostly from cocoa beans may be good for you. Cocoa is high in flavanols, which belong to a class of antioxidants called flavonoids. Dark chocolate has been associated with lowered risk of heart attack and stroke, improvements in cognition, lower body mass index (BMI, a weight to height ratio), dilation of blood vessels and lower blood pressure, and improved cholesterol profiles. This is despite containing a lot of saturated fat (a good trick, indeed). Among a study of 37,000 Swedish men, individuals who ate at least 1.8oz of dark chocolate a week had a 17% lower risk of stroke than those who ate less than 0.4oz a week.
Moderation is important. Two ounces of dark chocolate contain about 440 calories, so while a little may be good, a lot may not be so good. Watch out for milk chocolate and highly processed chocolates with great quantities of sugar added, they contain more calories and fewer health benefits.
A balanced diet and regular exercise are keys to good health, but don’t feel too badly if you top off a balanced meal with a tantalizing piece of the dark stuff.
