By Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

CHOCOLATE HAS HEALTH BENEFITS, BUT TOO MUCH CAN MAKE YOU FAT

Question: I have been hearing and reading that chocolate can lower blood pressure, prevent heart attacks, lower cholesterol, and even protect against cancer. How much chocolate should I eat daily? I am a “chocoholic” so this news makes me very happy. Could you give me some guidelines on chocolate use?

Answer: Hold your chocolate bars -- not so fast!!! While you are correct that there have been several studies that have shown that dark chocolate has some health benefits, the studies have been small and have all cautioned against the excess consumption of chocolate because of its high calorie content. Let me give you some information on the benefits of dark chocolate.

Chocolate in its natural state contains many substances that have been identified as being good for you. The cocoa plant, from which chocolate is derived, has a high level of one of these substances called flavonoids. Dark chocolate, unlike milk chocolate, retains relatively high levels of these plant flavonoids.

The flavonoids in dark chocolate have been shown to reduce cholesterol plaques in the arteries. They’ve also been shown to help the blood vessels dilate and relax and, thereby, lower the blood pressure and promote good vascular health. How this happens is kind of interesting. The flavonoids in chocolate apparently trigger biological action that reduces inflammation and increases nitric oxide levels in the blood. Higher nitric oxide levels help relax the inner surface of your blood vessels.

Many flavonoids are destroyed during processing of chocolate, but food companies are working harder to keep high levels of flavonoid in the chocolate product. It is also theorized that the proteins in milk bind with the flavonoids and deactivate them, so that’s why you need to eat dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate to get flavonoid benefits.

Dark chocolate is also felt to have strong antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help rid the body of destructive molecules that are suspected to be a problem in heart disease and cancer. Again, milk, as in milk chocolate, is thought to decrease this antioxidant activity.

Here is the major problem with dark chocolate -- it is very high in calories. An average dark chocolate candy bar can have several hundred calories in it. Any good that would come from the chocolate, can easily be offset by weight gain. Dark chocolate must be consumed in modest amounts or you will soon have to add obesity to you list of medical conditions.

Unless you get headaches or heartburn from it, you might consider swapping out some of the sweets or other calorie-dense foods in your diet, for a small amount of dark chocolate. A good rule of thumb would be to limit yourself to one small square of dark chocolate a day.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, P.O. Box 110, Athens, Ohio 45701, or via e-mail to readerquestions@familymedicinenews.org. Medical information in this column is provided as an educational service only. It does not replace the judgment of your personal physician, who should be relied on to diagnose and recommend treatment for any medical conditions. Past columns are available online at www.familymedicinenews.org.