How to enjoy chocolate without feeling guilty...
There are few foods that people feel as passionate about as chocolate. For chocolate "addicts", even just thinking about chocolate makes them feel better.
The problem is, these good feelings are quickly erased by the guilt you feel after eating it. After all, if it tastes that good, it can't be healthy, right?
Maybe. But, then again, maybe not. Just imagine how great you'd feel after eating some chocolate, knowing all the time that it was actually doing you some good. Of course, this doesn't apply to all chocolate. However, there are certain types of chocolate that you can enjoy without feeling guilty.
Chocolate
Scientists have been working for some time to isolate the chemical in chocolate responsible for its pleasurable effects. Caffeine is the best known of these ingredients. While it is found in chocolate, there are only small amounts. Theobromine, a weak stimulant, is present in slightly higher quantities.
Although the combination of caffeine and theobromine may be responsible for the good feelings you get after eating chocolate, researchers at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California have a far more controversial theory. They believe that chocolate somehow mimics the effects of cannabis through its effect on a chemical in your brain known as anandamide.
Anandamide is a neurotransmitter - a chemical that acts a little like a mail carrier - carrying signals from one brain cell to another. Like other neurotransmitters, it's broken down quickly after it's produced. However, chemicals in chocolate appear to slow the natural breakdown of anadamide. This means that natural anandamide may stick around longer, making you feel better when you eat chocolate.
However, the extent to which the chemicals in chocolate reach the bloodstream and exert these effects when consumed orally is up for debate. According to some estimates, a 130-pound person would have to inject the equivalent of 25 pounds of chocolate in one sitting to get any marijuana-like effect.
History
One of the first documents (in Western language, at least) to mention chocolate was written in the early 1500's. Although the current perception of chocolate is that of a delicacy, some European historical documents refer to its medicinal value.
In fact, Theobroma cacao (the scientific name of the cocoa tree, meaning "food of the gods") was prepared as a beverage and drunk by the Mexica to treat stomach and intestinal complaints. There are even claims that it has properties as an aphrodisiac [1].
According to Mayan religion, cacao was discovered by the gods. The Mexica held it in especially high regard, reserving cacao for male priests, government officials, and distinguished warriors. By the 1600s and 1700s, chocolate and cocoa were used to treat a number of disorders, including angina and heart pain [2].
It's well established that eating fruit and vegetables helps to prevent a number of chronic diseases, especially cancer and cardiovascular disease. One of the reasons is their high content of polyphenol antioxidants - a type of chemical found in plants. The high polyphenol content of red wine, for example, could account for the low incidence of heart disease in some populations that drink wine regularly.
However, most people aren't aware that cocoa beans, just like red wine and green tea, are an important source of polyphenols. Specifically, chocolate is rich in the polyphenols catechin and epicatechin.
Dark chocolate
Not all types of chocolate contain the same amount of polyphenols. Chocolate liquor is the basis for all chocolate products, and varies among different types chocolate. Those with the highest levels of chocolate liquor - made by finely grinding the nib of the cocoa in the products - also contain more polyphenols.
Professor Joe Vinson, of the University of Scranton, has measured the levels of catechins in dark and milk chocolate, and reports that dark chocolate has a higher polyphenol content than milk chocolate [7]. The table below shows you the results.
TABLE 1. The catechin content of dark and milk chocolate per 100 grams.
|
Type |
Catechin content per 100 grams |
|
Dark chocolate |
48-137 mg |
|
Milk chocolate |
15-16 mg |
One important question about chocolate polyphenols is whether your body can actually absorb them. While the catechins in cocoa show antioxidant effects in vitro (in a test tube), it's only recently that researchers have established that they do show up in your bloodstream after the consumption of cocoa.
The figure below shows you the levels of polyphenol antioxidants in the blood following the consumption of 27, 53 and 80 grams of chocolate rich in epicatechin [8].
FIGURE 1. Rise in plasma epicatechin (nmol/L) two hours after the consumption of varying amounts of chocolate containing 1.3 mg of epicatechin per gram.
What's more, as the levels of epicatechin rise, the ability of your blood to defend itself against free radical damage also increases.
For example, two hours after the consumption of 80 grams of chocolate rich in polyphenols, there was a 12-fold increase in epicatechin levels. Within the same period, there was a 31% increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity.
An increase in the total antioxidant capacity of plasma means that your blood is more able to defend itself against free radical damage. Indeed, markers of free radical damage dropped by 40% in the same period, although the protection lasted for no more than six hours [4].
Cardiovascular health
Although there is considerable support for the theory that heart disease is due in part to oxidative damage to LDL cholesterol, this is certainly not accepted by all doctors and researchers in the field. However, it appears that polyphenols reduce your risk of heart disease in ways other than their potential to act as antioxidants.
Some polyphenols, for example, may interfere with the function of platelets, which your blood needs in order to form a clot. Much of the beneficial effect of red wine on cardiovascular health is down to decreased platelet activity. Of course, if your blood didn't clot, then a small cut would never heal. However, blood that clots too easily can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
A blood clot can form in a blood vessel and remain there, where it blocks the flow of blood. This blockage deprives the tissues of oxygen, which can result in the damage, or even death of those tissues.
Just like red wine, cocoa appears to benefit cardiovascular health by making your platelets less reactive [5]. A reduction in platelet activity reduces the probability of a blood clot - one reason why a daily aspirin (which is said to help "thin" the blood) is often recommended to people over the age of 40.
In terms of polyphenol content, chocolate compares well to other sources, such as black tea, although the precise composition of the polyphenols differs slightly [7].
You can see these results more clearly in the figure below.
FIGURE 3. Levels of polyphenol antioxidants (in milligrams) per 40 grams of chocolate, and per 240 milliliters in black tea and red wine.
The accumulated evidence suggests that the regular intake of chocolate may help prevent some chronic diseases. Indeed, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found an association between consuming candy 1-3 times a month and increased longevity [3].
The study - published by I-Min Lee and Ralph Paffenbarger in the December 1998 issue of the British Medical Journal - showed that those who ate candy (chocolates or sweets) lived almost a year longer (up to age 95) than those who abstained.
Chocolate could also be an important source of health-promoting catechins for young people, who are more likely to eat chocolate than drink tea or red wine.
The bottom line
If you are feeling a little deprived, have a small piece of chocolate, preferably dark. Some of the compounds in chocolate have potent appetite-suppressing effects, and help to make you feel full. Take your time eating it - pick up the bar, take a bite, then put the bar down, and don't pick it up until you've finished the chunk that's in your mouth.
Dark chocolate (sometimes called bittersweet chocolate) contains at least 15% chocolate liquor, but may contain as much as 60%. Not only is dark chocolate lower in sugar, the fact that it's high in cocoa means that it's richer in the health-promoting polyphenols. The remainder is cocoa butter, sugar, and other additives.
"The more of the original bean you have," explains Professor Joe Vinson, "the better the chocolate is for you."
That said, even different types of dark chocolate have different levels of polyphenols. Every step of the manufacture of chocolate can affect the levels of polyphenols. The processing of cocoa dramatically affects the levels of polyphenols and, in turn, the flavor. The more polyphenols in the cocoa, for example, the more sharp and pungent the taste will be. The products used in several of the trials include DOVE Dark Chocolate and M&M's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Baking Bits.
White chocolate - unfortunately - has none of these polyphenols. It only earns the name chocolate because it contains cocoa butter. Hot cocoa has very little chocolate liquor because it's so dilute. The average hot cocoa mix, made according to instructions, provides around 45 mg of polyphenols in a 240-ml serving.
Of course, this doesn't mean you should live on chocolate bars. After all, most are high in both fat and sugar. Indeed, Franciso Hernandez, in his botanical text Historia de las Plantas de la Nueva Espanan written in 1577, points out that chocolatl has the properties of making the consumer "extremely fat" if used frequently.
References
1. Dillinger, T.L., Barriga, P., Escarcega, S., Jimenez, M., Salazar Lowe, D., & Grivetti, L.E. (2000).Food of the Gods: Cure for Humanity? A Cultural History of the Medicinal and Ritual Use of Chocolate. Journal of Nutrition, 130, 2057S-2072S
2. Keen, C.L. (2001). Chocolate: food as medicine/medicine as food. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 20, 436S-439S
3. Lee, I.M., & Paffenbarger, R.S. Jr. (1998). Life is sweet: candy consumption and longevity. British Medical Journal, 317, 1683-1684
4. Rein, D., Lotito, S., Holt, R.R., Keen, C.L., Schmitz, H.H., & Fraga, C.G. (2000). Epicatechin in human plasma: in vivo determination and effect of chocolate consumption on plasma oxidation status. Journal of Nutrition, 130, 2109S-2114S
5. Rein, D., Paglieroni, T.G., Pearson, D.A., Wun, T., Schmitz, H.H., Gosselin, R., & Keen, C.L. (2000). Cocoa and wine polyphenols modulate platelet activation and function. Journal of Nutrition, 130, 2120S-2126S
6. Schramm, D.D., Wang, J.F., Holt, R.R., Ensunsa, J.L., Gonsalves, J.L., Lazarus, S.A., Schmitz, H.H., German, J.B., & Keen, C.L. (2001). Chocolate procyanidins decrease the leukotriene-prostacyclin ratio in humans and human aortic endothelial cells. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 73, 36-40
7. Vinson, J.A., Proch, J., & Zubik, L.. (1999). Phenol antioxidant quantity and quality in foods: cocoa, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 47, 4821-4824
8. Wang, J.F., Schramm, D.D., Holt, R.R., Ensunsa, J.L., Fraga, C.G., Schmitz, H.H., & Keen, C.L. (2000). A dose-response effect from chocolate consumption on plasma epicatechin and oxidative damage. Journal of Nutrition, 130, 2115S-2119S
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