By Dr. Mercola
New research has emerged proving that chocolate is good not
only for the soul, but for your mind and body as well.
According to a video released by the American Chemical
Society (ACS), chocolate contains hundreds of compounds, and
many of them come with benefits that go far beyond a few
delicious moments of sweetness.
Studies have already established that chocolate contains a
number of beneficial ingredients. For instance,
resveratrol, an important compound in chocolate, may not
only protect your brain and nervous system, but actually prolong
your life.1
Dark chocolate is also an
inflammation fighter, listed along with turmeric and
following a Mediterranean-style diet as one of the healthiest,
most natural ways to reduce the inflammatory processes
underlying the chronic, degenerative diseases that afflict most
of the developed world.
Five pieces of evidence highlighted in the
ACS video show that other factors enhance the sweet, smooth
goodness of chocolate, and those involve naturally occurring
chemicals. Read on.
Antioxidants – The Not-So-Sweet Things Chocolate Has to Say
about Free Radicals
One of the most compelling reasons to make chocolate a part
of your regular diet may be for the antioxidants it provides.
Few foods, and certainly not dessert foods, have as much
therapeutic potential as this “candy” aisle treat, as evidenced
by a wide range of accumulating scientific research linking its
consumption to over 40 distinct health benefits.2
While most of us have heard about the importance of
antioxidants, a primer might help, beginning with the
explanation that the formation of free radicals – atoms, ions
and molecules with unpaired electrons – in your cells can damage
your DNA to the point that your risk of developing diseases like
Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer are elevated.
This is why the antioxidant polyphenols in chocolate are so
valuable, as they have the ability to stop free radical mediated
oxidation. This helps to decrease your risk of those and other
diseases by directly interfering with one of the major
preventable causes of chronic degenerative diseases.
A factoid from ACS's Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry indicates that naturally occurring polyphenols in
cocoa, the fundamental component in chocolate, actually boost
levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol, while at the same time
reducing the atherogenicity of so-called “bad” variety – LDL –
by preventing its oxidation.3
Supporting evidence from the Cleveland Clinic study4
noted:
"Antioxidants are believed to help the body's cells
resist damage caused by free radicals that are formed by
normal bodily processes, such as breathing, and from
environmental contaminants, like cigarette smoke. If your
body does not have enough antioxidants to combat the amount
of oxidation that occurs, it can become damaged by free
radicals. For example, an increase in oxidation can cause
low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as 'bad'
cholesterol, to form plaque on the artery walls."
Chocoholics Aren't Weak-Willed – They Just Know What Makes Them
Feel Good
If you’re one of these individuals who gets a nice mood boost
whenever you sink your teeth into a bar of pure, unadulterated
chocolate, it is not happenstance. There's actually a chemical
reason called anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced
in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and
depression.
It's a derivative of the Sanskrit word "bliss," and one of
the great things about chocolate is that it not only produces
this compound, it also contains other chemicals that prolongs
the "feel-good" aspects of anandamide.
But there’s more to this brain chemical than just how it makes
us feel.
As a scientist on the topic, Daniele Piomelli, from the
University of California, Irvine, put it:
“Anandamide is also synthesized in areas of the brain
that are important in memory and higher thought processes
and in areas that control movement. That implies that
anandamide's function is not just to produce bliss.”5
Anandamide has been compared to the sensation derived from
marijuana, but Piomelli says "We are talking about something
much, much, much, much milder than a high."6
There’s also evidence that this compound has the ability to help
“sweeten” up your love life as well.
Need a Brain Boost? A Surge of Energy? Reach for Chocolate!
Natural stimulants in chocolate produce a boost in both
physical and brain energy, primarily from caffeine and
theobromine. But one clinical study involving 24 healthy female
subjects showed “synergistic” effects on cognition and mood,
which incidentally translated into improved blood pressure.7
Everyone knows chocolate contains caffeine, a stimulant that can
help heighten physical energy and alertness, but studies also
show that it can inhibit inflammation in the brain that causes
migraines.8
Also regarding brain health, a Johns Hopkins study found that
dark chocolate may shield the brain from damage after a stroke
by increasing cellular signals.9
Mice which had ingested epicatechin, a compound found in dark
chocolate, suffered significantly
less brain damage after undergoing induced stroke than mice
which had not been given this compound. What this means for
ischemic stroke victims (related to clot obstructions in the
vessels supplying blood to the brain, a condition known as
antherosclerosis)10
is that the epicatechin in dark chocolate may actually protect
the brain.
Flavonols are the main flavonoids found in cocoa and
chocolate, as a British study found.11
A pilot study evaluated the relationship between cerebral blood
flow and a dose of flavanol-rich cocoa, which showed a marked
increase in the cerebral blood flow to gray matter. The study
results indicated that the flavonols in cocoa have the treatment
potential against vascular impairment, which leads into the next
point…
Raw Chocolate = Improved Heart Health… and Other Life-Saving
Benefits
According to that same study,12
cocoa flavonols could be used to treat problems with vascular
impairment, including dementia and strokes.13
Additionally, the ACS studies found that the polyphenols and
catechins in chocolate may lower the stroke risk in men. More
specifically
epicatechins, which help prevent not only clotting but
inflammation, is helpful, researchers say, in preventing some
types of strokes.
What's interesting is that a 7-study meta-analysis14
sought to find a link between chocolate consumption and certain
cardiometabolic disorders, such as coronary heart disease,
stroke, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Along with those
disorders are related problems like hypertension, elevated
fasting glucose and triglycerides, and high cholesterol,
abdominal obesity. But rather than negative effects, scientists
found that chocolate – specifically the dark unprocessed raw
cacao kinds – actually
reduced the risk of such disorders.
Don't Worry - Eat Chocolate
Beyond the fact that chocolate contains the feel-good
anandamide compound, there are additional clinically-confirmed
reasons why chocolate has been referred to as “the
new anti-anxiety drug.” Another ACS study (in the Journal of
Proteome Research) revealed that one-and-a-half ounces of dark
chocolate a day for 2 weeks reduced stress hormone levels.
Volunteers for the study, categorized as “highly stressed,” were
found at the end of the two-week period to have lower levels of
the “figh-or-flight” stress hormone cortisol.
But remember that many chocolate brands are high in sugar,
calories and unhealthy saturated fats, so buyer beware. First,
be sure that the chocolate you're eating is dark chocolate.
There is also a
big difference in chocolates’ health effects, depending on
how much you eat. As mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic
study:
“'...Be careful about the type of dark chocolate you
choose: chewy caramel-marshmallow-nut-covered dark chocolate
is by no means a heart-healthy food option.'15 Be
aware that milk chocolate does not have the same healthy
effect as unadulterated dark chocolate, because
milk often prevents absorption of polyphenols.
It’s also important to remember the word
moderation. There’s a measured and tested amount of
chocolate – 6.7 grams a day (or one small square of
chocolate two or three times a week) – that provides the
best health benefits. While it undoubtedly comes as a
pleasant surprise that chocolate is actually good for you,
eating the right amount is crucial if you want it to be a
benefit and not a liability.”
If you’re craving a decadent chocolate treat but want to
avoid the downsides, take a look at this video so you can make
your own
organic chocolate bars. Also, please be aware that many
popular and seemingly artisan-quality chocolate companies are
now owned by multinational corporations who use GMO ingredients,
disregard fair trade standards, and otherwise are not interested
in supporting organic and sustainable production methods.
As examples, Cadbury Schweppes bought Green & Black in 2005,
who in turn was bought by Kraft Foods in 2010. Dagoba was bought
by Hershey’s in 2006. You will find this pattern recur quite
often if you peak beneath the “wrapper” of the chocolate
industry. So, please remember to choose carefully, and consider
whether the companies you support are supporting you back.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.