The many health benefits of chocolate come from the beans of the Cocoa plant, (Cacao plant, scientific name Theobroma cacao). The cocoa beans are then made into powder and are rich in flavonols which act as antioxidants. Milk chocolate contains significant amounts of sugar and saturated fat. Chocolate also contains high calories and caffeine. The health benefits of chocolate may also be related to theobromine and theophylline which act as stimulants. Dark chocolate has a higher concentration of caffeine, antioxidants, theobromine, and theophylline, but less sugar and saturated fat than milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is more bitter tasting than milk chocolate.
Here are Some of the Health Benefits of Chocolate:
- Chocolate lowers high blood pressure. The health benefits of chocolate were seen when higher intakes were found to be associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure (1,2,3).
- Health benefits of chocolate include a reduced risk of pregnancy complications. Triche EW et al (4) and Saftlas, AF et al (5) found that women who consumed the most chocolate were less likely to develop pre-eclampsia.
- Cocoa powder lowers cholesterol. Elderly adults who took 500 mL of skim milk daily with 40g of cocoa powder for 4 weeks found that milk plus cocoa increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels by 2.67 mg/dL, and reduced oxidized LDL cholesterol levels of -12.3 U/Lcompared to milk only (6). A dose of 13g, 19.5g or 26g per day resulted in the following improvements: total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides decreased by 1.15%, 3.77%, and 5.11% respectively, and HDL increased by 9.52% (7).
- Chocolate may lower the risk of coronary artery disease. Total chocolate intake lowered risk of coronary artery disease compared with controls (8,9).
- Health benefits of chocolate may include a decrease in the risk of stroke. Consumption of chocolate has been found to significantly reduce the risk of both ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke in a large cohort study on women who ate a median of 66.5 grams per week of chocolate (13). In a large cohort study on men, a median intake of 62.9 grams of chocolate per week was associated with a decrease in risk of stroke by about 17% (14).
- Chocolate improved the ability of blood vessels to dilate (10). Endothelial function: After cocoa intake, blood vessel response to nitric oxide and endothelial function improved, but the vessels of older adults responded to a greater extent (10).
- Chocolate may help those with chronic fatigue syndrome. The results of a small double-blind, randomized crossover study indicated that consumption of a 15 gram bar of 85% cocoa, 3 times daily significantly improved symptoms of chronic fatigue (10).
- Chocolate may benefit asthma: Simons FE et al (16) found that about the equivalent of 25 to 50 grams of dark chocolate improved lung function on pulmonary function tests in those with asthma due to the theobromine and theophylline content.
- Fox News reported that spas have started performing chocolate massage. There is no research yet showing specific health benefits of chocolate massage. Spas report that it provides a relaxing experience. The spas are reporting that chocolate massage nourishes and firms the skin while helping to moisturize and build collagen (17).
Warnings on Chocolate Consumption
When enjoying the health benefits of chocolate, keep in mind that cocoa and chocolate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine.
- Caffeine intake up to 300 mg per day is generally safe for healthy adults.
- Older patients or those with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or cerebrovascular disease should avoid more than 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages per day (no more than 100-200 mg of cafeine intake per day).
- One cup of coffee contains on average, about 100 mg of caffeine. Each standard sized milk chocolate bar such as Hershey’s contains about 10 mg of caffeine, and each standard size dark chocolate bar contains about 31 mg of caffeine.
- Standard caffeine intake is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and AMA but can be dangerous with adverse effects such as high bp, stroke, and arrythmias reported.
- If more than 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages are consumed per day, it is prudent to seek physician and/or pharmacist approval of caffeine consumption with any medications or supplements.
- Cocoa and chocolate also contains theobromine which is known to act as a stimulant, vasodilator, and diuretic which may be responsible for some of the therapeutic action of cocoa (12). Theobromine and cocoa may intensify the blood pressure lowering effects of any blood pressure medications. Therefore a physician should oversee the care of a patient taking cocoa or chocolate for high blood pressure.
