Chocolate and Heart Health - Fact or Fallacy?

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
All About Heart Disease

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!

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