Chocolate Is The Most Widely Craved Food, But Is It Really Addictive?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 12, 2007) — Chocolate is the most widely and frequently craved food. People readily admit to being ‘addicted to chocolate’ or willingly label themselves as ‘chocoholics’. A popular explanation for this is that chocolate contains mood-enhancing (psychoactive) ingredients that give it special appeal.

Evidence and logic, however, find little support for this. Substances present in chocolate which have been Read more

A Few Squares Of Dark Chocolate A Day May Stave Off Artery Hardening In Smokers

ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2006) — Dark chocolate may stave off artery hardening in smokers, and a few squares every day could potentially cut the risk of serious heart disease, finds a small study in Heart.

Researchers compared the effects of dark (74% cocoa solids) and white chocolate on the smoothness of arterial blood flow in 20 male smokers.

In smokers the activity of both endothelial cells, which line the artery walls, and platelets, which are involved in the formation of blood clots, are continuously disrupted, making the arteries susceptible to the narrowing and hardening characteristic of coronary artery disease. Read more

Flavanols Key To Potential Chocolate Benefits

ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2005) — Phytochemicals known as flavanols, which are found in chocolate, fruits and vegetables, can boost the levels of nitric oxide in the blood of smokers and reverse some of their smoking-related impairment in blood vessel function, according to a new study in the Oct. 4, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

“While the long-term benefits of such improvements remain to be established, we believe that one exciting outcome of this study is the demonstration Read more

Cocoa Intake Linked To Lower Blood Pressure, Reduced Risk Of Death

ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2006) — A study of elderly Dutch men indicates that eating or drinking cocoa is associated with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death, according to an article in the February 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Cocoa has been linked to cardiovascular health benefits since at least the 18th century, but researchers are just beginning to collect scientific evidence for these claims, according to background information in the article. Cocoa is now known to contain chemicals called flavan-3-ols, which have been linked to lower blood pressure and improved function of the cells lining the blood vessels. Read more

New Process Boosts Levels Of Heart-healthy Compounds In Cocoa Powder

Cocoa beans — the source of chocolate — in a cacao pod. (Credit: Photo by Keith Weller; courtesy of USDA/Agricultural Research Service)ScienceDaily (May 10, 2007) — Scientists in Spain are reporting development of a new process to make cocoa powder with higher amounts of the healthful chemical compounds linked to chocolate’s beneficial effects. The study is scheduled for publication in the May 30 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Read more

Cocoa, diabetes, and hypertension: should we eat more chocolate?

by Cesar G Fraga

Biochemical and physiologic associations among hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease have grown steadily, supported by basic, clinical, and epidemiologic research. The possibilities for treating these pathologies include pharmacologic approaches, lifestyle adjustment, and diet modification. The identification of foods that have cardiovascular health benefits has become a major public health objective. There is now a large body of epidemiologic evidence that supports the concept that diets rich in fruit and vegetables attenuate or delay the onset of certain chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and related Read more

Health Benefits of Chocolate

By Laura Fleenor

If you are a chocolate lover, you are going to love hearing about this.  It is a little known fact that chocolate can be beneficial to your health.  This article will help give some insight on why chocolate is beneficial to your health.  Eating chocolate can actually be heart healthy. Read more