how bad - or good - is chocolate for you
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then
doesn't hurt, said cartoonist Charles M Schulz.
The problem, as urban eaters have discovered, is he didn't
specify how much, and just how frequent is now and then.
In the past decade, we've been treated to a revolving door
of research that says yayyy, chocolate is antioxidant nirvana in a bar - and
before the smile can even settle on our faces, others show up to warn us this
is the enemy from hell.
It's impossible to make sense of the conflicting data. Can
chocolate lower the risk of heart disease? Prevent diabetes? Arrest ageing?
Help women fight mood swings? Will the sugar in it kill us before the
antioxidants in it can save us? Are we fooling ourselves that it will do us
good?
You already know this: too much will hurt you. Not just of
chocolate, but of absolutely anything - including things that are good for you.
So even an outcome that says chocolate receives the health all-clear is not
carte blanche to dig into a 500 gm bar.
Now here's a breakdown of where research stands on the good,
the bad and the - gasp - ugly of chocolate.
1) Higher chocolate intake is definitely
associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in the future (this does
not apply if you aleady have heart disease).
Dark chocolate is packed with minerals such as potassium,
zinc and selenium, and a 100gm bar of dark chocolate provides 67% of your
recommended daily iron intake.
In addition, dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to
arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of
blood vessels - both common causes of artery clogging. That's right - it can
actually give your arteries a boost. It also reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and
raises levels of good cholesterol, which is how it reduces risk of
cardiovascular disease.
Till recently only dark chocolate, with a minimum cocoa
percentage of 70% or more was considered good for you - but research is now
certain that white chocolate does your heart good, too.
A 12-year study on the snacking habits of people showed that
regularly eating chocolate can cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, and
this includes white chocolate even though it doesn't contain cocoa
solids; instead, it's made of cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids.
2) Chocolate has anti-inflammatory properties, and
this remains firmly established. It contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant
also found in tea and red wine, that can help stimulate blood flow by
demolishing free radicals which cause disease.
3) It boosts brain function. Chocolate is one of
the richest natural sources of magnesium, a mineral essential for brain health.
It also contains caffeine.
Eating just a small amount - one or two squares a day - can
help boost concentration and alertness. A key chemical compound in chocolate,
theobromine, has a stimulant effect on the brain similar to that of caffeine.
4) Contrary to what we believe, it is good
for the skin. The flavonols in dark chocolate can protect the skin against
sun damage and also give your hair a boost.
5) It can help lose weight. This isn't counterintuitive
- it's fundamental to how chocolate works in our bodies.
Neuroscientist Will Clower says that a small square of good
chocolate melted on the tongue 20 minutes before a meal triggers the hormones
in the brain that say "I'm full". That helps cut the amount of food
you subsequently consume.
Eating a square post your meal could help avoid subsequent
snacking.
6) No ambiguity here: it demonstrably reduces stress in
expectant mothers.
7) Chocolate makes you feel better, and not just because the
flavours explode on your tongue like magic. It contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA),
the same chemical that your brain creates when you feel like you're falling in
love.
PEA encourages your brain to release feel-good endorphins -
which is why chocolate has come to acquire its legendary reputation as an
aphrodisiac.
