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Chocolate is easy on the taste buds, and may be good for the heart, too Date published: 2/19/2006
LONG ASSOCIATED with sensuality and Valentine's Day, lately chocolate is being marketed year-round as a heart-healthy food. Though I am fascinated by recent science showing health benefits of chocolate, I can't claim that I eat it for intellectual reasons. For me, it's pure pleasure: softly snapping a chocolate bar between my teeth; sipping hot chocolate's sweet warmth; drizzling steaming, homemade hot fudge sauce over cold vanilla ice cream. It goes without saying that the chocolate fountains now popular at weddings and other catered events make me ecstatic. Chocolate is easy on our taste buds, and it may be easy on the heart as well. Research shows dark chocolate may slightly lower blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart. It has minimal amounts of caffeine, and it contains a type of saturated fat that does not raise blood cholesterol. It also contains antioxidants, which may help the heart. The antioxidants are called flavanols, and they are similar to substances found in tea, wine and many fruits and vegetables. What scientists sayA small Italian study showed that eating 3.5 ounces daily of special high-flavanol dark chocolate reduced blood pressure by 9 to 12 points and bad LDL cholesterol by 10 percent. But 3.5 ounces is about 500 calories worth of chocolate, which could cause weight gain. Another study, done at Yale University, showed that eating Hershey's new Extra Dark Chocolate improved blood pressure and circulation. Hershey provided the chocolate and money for the study, but independent studies in the past have suggested that dark chocolate would have these effects. A joint study from scientists in California, Boston, Germany and New Jersey's Mars Co. indicated Mars Inc.'s flavanol-rich cocoa also can improve blood flow. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In another study, researchers at Harvard University and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee reported in January that people who eat 1 to 2 ounces of dark chocolate daily theoretically could cut their risk of death from heart disease by 11 percent. They called for more research to see if this is actually so. Despite the potential health benefits of chocolate, more is not better. Too much can contribute not only to weight gain but also to cavities. And eating chocolate is no substitute for exercising and eating lots of fruits and veggies.
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