How guilty should you feel about
devouring sweet treats?
Lilian Anekwe reveals 10 scientific
reasons why chocolate isn’t all bad
1
Lowers blood pressureSubstances called flavanols in cocoa
work like blood pressure-lowering drugs
called ACE inhibitors. Flavanols stimulate
the body to produce nitrous oxide in the
blood, which helps open up blood vessels.
Australian researchers found regularly
consuming cocoa lowered people’s systolic
blood pressure (blood exiting the heart)and
diastolic blood pressure (blood entering the
heart). However, 1 per cent of people had
stomach aches from over-indulging!2
Prevents liver damage
The beneficial effects of chocolate on
blood pressure come from the high flavanol
content, and the nitrous oxide which dilates
blood vessels. High blood pressure in the
veins of the liver is thought to be linked with
liver damage and chronic liver disease. Early
research has shown that dark chocolate
improves blood flow in the liver, and there
are studies at the moment looking at
whether dark chocolate can prevent liver
damage. Don’t have that second glass of
wine just yet though...3
Boosts ‘good cholesterol’
Cocoa contains chemicals called
polyphenols, and eating chocolate with
high polyphenol levels – like that found
in dark chocolate – could improve ‘good’
cholesterol levels, according to registered
nutritionist Gaynor Bussell. “Cocoa consists
mainly of stearic acid and oleic acid.
Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but unlike
most saturated fatty acids, it does not
raise blood cholesterol levels. Oleic acid,
a monounsaturated fat, does not raise
cholesterol and may even reduce it.”4
Keeps your heart healthy
All the effects of chocolate on the
circulatory system – lowering blood
pressure, opening up the blood vessels and
reducing inflammation – can help keep our
hearts healthy and ward off heart disease
and strokes, research published in the BMJ
shows. A review of studies of more than
114,000 people found that those who ate
the most chocolate were 37 per cent less
likely to have coronary heart disease and
29 per cent less likely to have a stroke than
ILLUSTRATOR: MAGICTORCH people who ate the least chocolate.HEALTH