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All hail chocolate! -

Whether you are a chocoholic or not, it is difficult to deny that chocolate tastes great! Sweet and crumbly with a touch of caffeine, chocolate snacks are a popular pick-me-up.

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Everything in moderation -

Unfortunately for the chocolate lovers among us, the snack doesn’t have the best reputation healthwise. From childhood, we learn that chocolate should only be consumed in tiny quantities.

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Guilt-free pleasure -

Increasingly, however, research suggests that it may be possible to enjoy chocolate in a guilt-free way, simply by opting for a bar that has a high percentage of cocoa.

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Old news -

The idea that dark chocolate is better for us than milk chocolate is nothing new, of course. For years we have believed this to be the case.

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Diving deeper -

However, it is only as we begin to look more closely at chocolate, and the plant compounds it contains, that we are beginning to understand why this is.

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Introducing flavonoids -

A key development in chocolate research is related to flavonoids. These are wonderful little plant compounds that have a number of health benefits.

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Cocoa context -

Cocoa contains a high level of flavonoids. This is one important reason that researchers believe dark chocolate can be beneficial to our health.

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Scientific backing -

Indeed, according to the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study, a 400-500 mg cocoa flavanol supplement per day can help reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.

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Caveat -

It does this by reducing blood pressure and the level of inflammation in the body. That does not mean to say, however, that eating dark chocolate will always reduce the risk of heart disease.

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Worth bearing in mind -

Naturally, the concentration of flavonoids varies greatly between brands, and the way the cocoa is harvested, manufactured, and processed makes a big difference.

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Other sources of flavonoids -

It is also worth noting that other consumable products such as tea and berries are good sources of flavonoids and contain less sugar and fat.

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Introducing theobromine -

There is another substance in cocoa that researchers believe is beneficial to health, however, and that is the plant molecule theobromine.

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Theobromine vs. caffeine -

Theobromine is a psychoactive substance from the same family as caffeine. In general, though, the hit from theobromine is smoother than the hit from caffeine.

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Smoothly does it -

According to Chris Alford, psychology professor at the University of the West of England, "If you're eating a lot of dark chocolate, you may get a genuine hit, and the theobromine may be nicer than the caffeine hit.”

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High in fiber and minerals -

Aside from being a source of flavonoids and theobromine, dark chocolate is generally higher in fiber than other sweet snacks, and is packed with important minerals.

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Nondairy -

It is also generally nondairy, which makes it a better choice for those people who are sensitive to milk products or try to follow a dairy-free diet.

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Chocolate and the sun -

There is even one small study that suggests eating high-flavonoid dark chocolate can improve blood flow to the skin and protect it from sun damage.

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The reality -

Eating dark chocolate is not without its drawbacks, of course. For all the goodness it offers, dark chocolate also contains a not insignificant amount of saturated fat.

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Saturated fat -

Dark chocolate often contains cocoa butter, which is high in saturated fat and is known to increase the risk of heart disease.

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Balancing out -

To that extent, it may be the case that any flavonoid-related benefits to heart health are canceled out by the saturated fat content of certain bars of dark chocolate.

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Sugar -

Inevitably, dark chocolate contains a certain amount of sugar, too. Of course, sugar content varies from bar to bar, and you can always opt for one that has less sugar.

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Catch-22 -

The problem is that the less sugar the chocolate bar contains, the less tasty it is. Dark chocolate that has a very low sugar content can be unbearably bitter to some.

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Complex picture -

And to complicate the picture even further, it seems that sugar and fat may be needed to make the all-powerful flavonoids bioavailable (easy for the body to take in).

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Hearing from the expert -

According to dietician Duane Mellor, "Some of these flavanols are complex organic compounds, and one way we can make them available is sticking sugar onto them.”

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That sweet spot -

It is very difficult, then, to work out where the sweet spot is when it comes to consuming dark chocolate.

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More research needed -

As it stands, there is still not enough research for us to make an informed decision about exactly what it is we should be eating.

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The importance of moderation -

It does seems clear that dark chocolate should not be considered a health food, and that, like anything, it should be consumed in moderation.

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All in all -

However, if choosing between a bar of milk chocolate and a bar of dark chocolate, the latter is likely the better option indeed.

Sources: (BBC) (Cleveland Clinic)

See also: The truth about caffeine-free coffees

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