A new paper summarised the evidence for chocolate being associated with reduced risk of heart disease.
Catherine Collins, Dietician at St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, said:
“Most chocolate we eat is milk chocolate, which in this country is different to continental milk chocolate in the amount of vegetable versus milk fat we blend with cocoa to give it its ‘30%/ 45% cocoa solids” definition. Also, white chocolate is a totally different product altogether so can’t be compared with brown chocolate with regards to flavonoid content. Cocoa butter does not appear to raise cholesterol, due to it stearic and oleic acid contents, but of course the sugar content of the final item could raise triglycerides but the results seem to suggest any clinical consequence of this is negligible.
“This paper doesn’t really say eat chocolate to improve heart health – nor do the authors conclude this either. What they seem to say is, those who don’t deny themselves a sweet treat of choc – white or brown – have better cardiovascular outcomes. I do feel that the perceived relaxing effect of chocolate (which is recorded in studies as being as soon as the taste and ‘mouthfeel’ of choc is experienced, before the product has hit the intestine and contributed to blood levels of sugar/serotonin whatever) is a contributor – perhaps akin to modest alcohol consumption – a relaxing treat, perceived as a ‘de-stressor’ and a food whose cost base is so low it’s affordable by virtually all.
“In terms of UK chocolate, it has to be based on relaxation rather than nutritional content, as our fancy-and-filled product ranges (think Crunchie, Mars bar, Topic, Turkish Delight) contain such little actual chocolate per unit, and what is there is mainly milk choc with low cocoa solids, that this cannot be solely attributed to cocoa flavonoids alone. For more information see http://www.cacaoweb.net/nutrition.html.
“So, it’s better for general health to relax and enjoy all foods, rather than be one of the food fascists I regularly meet who will ‘eat four squares of high quality organic dark chocolate and three brazil nuts a day’ for the heart and selenium benefits respectively. (Perhaps a chocolate brazil would do the same trick!).”
Prof Tom Sanders, Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics and Head of the Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division, School of Medicine, King’s College London, said:
“The problem on chocolate consumption is underreporting by overweight individuals; they under report food intake, especially forbidden foods such as chocolate. There is a chocolate gap – more chocolate is sold than people own up to consuming.
“Cocoa butter, although a rich source of saturated fatty acids, does not raise cholesterol much because the major saturated fatty acid in it is stearic acid, which neither raises nor lowers cholesterol. The evidence regarding chocolate and blood pressure is mixed, with a recent study showing that cocoaflavonoids increase blood pressure.
“The main problem with chocolate is overindulgence and calories. A little bit of chocolate is OK but the mega-slabs offered cheaply are fuelling obesity in the overweight.”
Victoria Taylor, Senior Heart Health Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said:
“Evidence does suggest chocolate might have some heart health benefits but we need to find out why that might be.
“We can’t start advising people to eat lots of chocolate based on this research. It didn’t explore what it is about chocolate that could help and if one particular type of chocolate is better than another.
“If you want to reduce your heart disease risk, there are much better places to start than at the bottom of a box of chocolates. You can still eat chocolate as part of a balanced diet but moderation is key because this sweet treat is usually packed with saturated fat and calories.”
‘Chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis’, Adriana Buitrago-Lopez et al, BMJ 2011;343:d4488 doi: 10.1136/bmj.d4488, published in the BMJ on Monday 29 August 2011.