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The great chocolate debate

So is it good for you or not? We look at research that throws light on the question every chocolate lover wants the answer to.

There seems to be more debate than ever over how chocolate affects your health and wellbeing. Simply visiting Twitter and searching for chocolate-related tweets will throw up an enormous number of thoughts and comments, while the blogsphere is full of musings on the subject.

Of course, obsession with chocolate is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for centuries, as chocolate expert Franco Beer from Ador points out.

"Chocolate was known as the food of the Gods by ancient Mayan Indians,” he says. “And although they may not have had cocoa in the delicious form that we now know as chocolate, even when slurping back their cocoa-based drinks, they knew they were on to a good thing.”

True or false?
So were the Mayans right? Well, a recent article by Indiana-based GP Dr Terry Gaff draws together a number of studies that shed some fascinating light on the subject. For example, he cites research that suggests eating chocolate can reduce the dangers of heart disease.

Ironically, the study in question is Swiss, the country most famed for its chocolatiers, so it’s no surprise that it highlights one of chocolate’s health benefits. It revealed that those who consumed chocolate less than once a month suffered 27% fewer heart-related deaths than those who never ate it. What’s more, the risk was 44% lower for weekly chocolate eaters and 66% less for those who ate chocolate two or more times a week.

“However, don’t overdo the chocolate,” cautions Dr Gaff, referencing a study published in medical journal The Lancet. This research found that women who ate chocolate every day have less dense bones than women who consumed it less than once a week. It concluded that eating large amounts of chocolate could lead to weaker bones and a greater chance of suffering a fracture.

Light and dark
Dr Gaff then turns his attention to chocolate’s fat content.

“Although it is fairly clear that the antioxidants in chocolate are good for your heart, there has been much written about the idea that the butterfat, which makes milk chocolate smooth in texture and taste, cancels out much of the benefit of chocolate,” he says. “Therefore, the best variety for your heart is dark chocolate.”

However, research based on more than 300 studies from across the globe suggests that a pint of milk a day greatly lessens the risk of developing heart disease and suffering a stroke, according to Dr Gaff.

“Researchers found that drinking more than half a quart [one pint] of milk a day reduces the chances of suffering heart attacks and strokes by up to a fifth,” he explains. “It also cuts the risk of developing diabetes and colon cancer. So it seems that drinking milk with your dark chocolate would be ideal.”

Brain food
Beyond heart health, Dr Terry also cites a study that suggests chocolate could heighten mental abilities. It revealed that people who were given large amounts of flavanols – a compound contained in chocolate – found mental arithmetic easier.

“They were also less likely to feel tired or mentally drained,” Dr Terry reports. “This means chocolate may be good for your heart and your brain!”

So it seems the Mayan’s centuries-old belief in the benefits of chocolate were not unfounded.

“We certainly embrace the ideas that scientists tell us about chocolate’s potential health benefits,” says Ador’s Franco, “but at the end of the day, we believe in the old adage ‘everything in moderation’. On the basis of ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’, whatever research tells us, good chocolate tastes heavenly and certainly won't do you any harm.”

That’s got to be good news for chocolate lovers everywhere.