How many times have we mentioned it here– chocolates are good for your health. Need more convincing? then grab the book, Chocolate- A Healthy Passion.
The book explores the origins of chocolate and its place in culture and traditions all over the world, and its health benefits.
Research shows that eating chocolate and natural cocoa may improve vascular health, blood pressure, cognitive health, blood flow, and skin health. According to studies by the USDA, just two tablespoons of natural cocoa have more antioxidant power than 4 cups of green tea, one cup of blueberries or one and a half glasses of …read more

The cardiovascular health benefits of chocolate has already been much documented. Its positive effect on skin health, a bit less so. That is actually good for the teeth? Unheard of… til now.
Think chocolate is bad for your teeth? Think again—it may actually be beneficial. A study out of the University of Osaka Graduate School of Dentistry in Osaka, Japan found that after four days of rinsing with a cocoa flavanol extract without other oral hygiene methods (such as brushing or flossing) participants had decreased bacteria and plaque on their teeth.
Can you believe that? In the book Chocolate – A Healthy …read more

According to a study sponsored by the Hershey Company, the antioxidant compound resveratrol found in grapes skin (and thus red wine) is also present in substantial amounts in cocoa and chocolate products. In fact, they say cocoa/chocolate products are second to red wine among known sources of resveratrol.
In the study, top selling retail products from six categories were tested for the level of resveratrol and its sister compound, piceid. The six product categories included cocoa powder, baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet baking chips, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup. Gram for gram, cocoa powder had the highest average amount of resveratrol …read more

Most of the research I read (and therefore write about) regarding the cardiovascular health benefits of flavanols in chocolate are studies funded by Mars, Inc. This is not to say that other chocolate makers are not doing scientific research on chocolate; in fact Hershey’s also published results that Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate as well as Hershey’s Natural Cocoa lowered blood pressure and improved endothelial function in a study of 45 patients.
The difference between the research of these two chocolate factories? Mars suggests that its products are superior because of their proprietary processing called Cocoapro® that helps ensure consistently high levels …read more

We already know the health benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate on heart health, but what seems to be lacking is concrete information on what constitutes a healthy serving. How much, how often? Does one need to be a chocoholic to reap the antioxidant benefits of dark chocolate? Does “the more, the better” principle apply?
A new study sought to answer these questions. The Moli-sani Project, has enrolled 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region, more than half of which were monitored to identify the relationship between chocolate consumption and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, which in turn is a risk …read more

Possible, according to a newly published study which indicates that cocoa flavanols increase blood flow to the brain and thus help in cognitive performance.
In a scientific study of healthy, older adults ages 59 to 83, Harvard medical scientists found that study participants who regularly drank a cocoa flavanol-rich beverage made using the Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro® process had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks.
In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers found both short and long-term benefits of cocoa flavanols for brain blood flow, offering future potential for the one …read more

Studies on flavanols have repeatedly shown these compounds to be effective in preventing and/or treating a variety of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and mental health degeneration.
Now, scientists have been able to produce a synthetic version of flavanols, which are naturally found in cacao (chocolates!). In a recent study, they have shown in cell studies that this synthetic version, administered in doses considered similar to what a person might eat or use, may prevent and /or treat cancer, particularly colon cancer.
Erm, maybe I’m missing something. Why would I want a synthetic version, when I could have chocolates instead?!?

According to the results of a new study (funded by Mars), naturally occurring compounds in cocoa called flavanols may help those who have type-2 diabetes. These findings are relate to previously documented effects of cocoa/chocolate on cardiovascular functions.

In this study, the impact of both immediate and regular consumption of a flavanol-rich cocoa drink on vascular function in diabetic adults was investigated. In the first part of this study, medically-treated adults with type 2 diabetes — a population known to have impaired blood vessel function, putting them at higher risk for cardiovascular disease — drank a well-characterized and standardized cocoa beverage …read more

I’ve blogged about how CocoaVia snack bars may lower cholesterol levels. Well, a new study indicates that apart from this, eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day also lowers systolic blood pressure.
The study, funded in part by Mars Inc., the company that makes the bars, was published in this month’s Journal of Nutrition.
Erdman attributes the drop in cholesterol numbers (total cholesterol by 2 percent and LDL or “bad” cholesterol by 5.3 percent) to the plant sterols that have been added to the bar and the drop in blood pressure to the flavanols found in dark chocolate.
The authors are quick …read more