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Chocolate and Heart Health – Fact or Fallacy?
By Nicholas Webb
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if chocolate and heart health went hand in hand.
However, there is so much information lately about the health benefits of
chocolate that it is only natural that people get confused.
It is true, that if people only ate pure cocoa, then there might be heart health
benefits. The problem is that most people eat processed chocolate bars
containing sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dairy cream not to mention
other “baddies” contained in some of those tasty fillings. Some of these added
ingredients can clog up arteries and create havoc to your waistline.
That said, you might be surprised to find out that chocolate isn’t as bad as it
was once thought. The fat content in chocolate, derived from cocoa butter
contained in premium grade dark chocolate, is comprised of equal amounts of
oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil),
stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are forms of saturated
fat – not so good. Saturated fats are linked to increases in LDL-cholesterol
and risk of developing heart disease.
Research indicates that stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on
cholesterol; neither raising nor lowering LDL-cholesterol levels. Palmitic acid
on the other hand, does affect cholesterol levels but only comprises one-third
of the fat calories in chocolate. Therefore, if we base our chocolate eating
habits on latest research, the fat issue isn’t so worrying.
Beware milk chocolate may not be so heart healthy
When we eat milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate, part of the total fat
content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat contained in the
processed chocolate, and not from the pure cocoa, which do adversely affect
cholesterol levels.
Despite all the good news on cocoa not raising LDL cholesterol, even dark
chocolate is a very calorie-dense food, so while the fat content may not invite
heart disease or clogging of the arteries, its regular consumption will add a
lot of extra calories to someone's daily total. In fact, many chocolate bars
list sugar as the number one ingredient. And as we all know lots of white
refined sugar is not going to help you keep your waistline nice and slim.
Remember obesity is a serious risk factor for developing heart disease.
Concerning cholesterol, new and yet-to-be-published studies are showing that
some antioxidants contained in chocolate, in particular dark chocolate and
cocoa powder, may actually increase "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels by as much
as 10 percent.
In the studies, the selected people ate 22 grams of cocoa powder and 16 grams of
dark chocolate every day The result: Their "bad" (LDL) cholesterol was less
susceptible to oxidation, a process that normally leads to artery-clogging
plaques. While many people take vitamins and other antioxidants to help prevent
plaque development, the study shows that cocoa could help.
In summary, whether chocolate and heart health do walk hand in hand is still an
open topic, however, in moderation it won’t do your heart any harm, however,
watch those calories. Most of all, enjoy it cause it tastes so good!
For more information about heart health and living your life to the full come
across and visit www.allabout-heart-disease.com.
About The Author
Nicholas Webb is the author and webmaster of the site
www.AllAbout-Heart-Disease.com that offers user-friendly articles,
tips and advice for avoiding heart disease and living your life to the full!
Link to this page
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Dr. F. Batmanghelidj explains how water can help you Lose weight effortlessly and naturally, without strict dieting; Prevent and reverse premature aging; Eliminate pains including heartburn, back pain, arthritis, colitis pain, anginal pain, migraine headaches; Cure asthma in a few days, naturally and forever; and Cure hypertension without diuretics or other medication.
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