Chocolate For Your Heart Health

If you’ve ever wondered if your love affair with chocolate is a one-sided relationship, don’t worry. The latest nutritional research has some very good news. Because February is “Heart Month” as well as the month for Valentines Day, we will give you all the reasons why this delicious food is so good for you!

For Improved Heart Health 

It may be surprising to hear that high cocoa chocolate is heart healthy because of its saturated fat content. But it turns out that, like many evil villains, they’re just misunderstood. One-third of the cocoa-derived fats are composed stearic acid, which doesn’t raise your bad cholesterol at all. Moreover, your liver converts it into heart-healthy oleic acid. Another one-third are the healthy monounsaturated fats.  

But whatever the current theory d’jour of health may be, it is still true that the consumption of cocoa fats can in fact raise your good cholesterol (HDL) and lower your bad cholesterol (LDL). Even better, the antioxidants in cocoa also help fight the chronic vascular inflammation that can lead to atherosclerosis. All this may be why researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that people who ate more high cocoa chocolate actually did have fewer incidents of heart disease.  

It’s not just isolated research reports either. This meta-analysis of 114,009 

participants showed that the highest levels of high-cocoa chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease, and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels.  

This Australian study argues that eating 100 grams of dark chocolate per day is more cost effective than traditional medication and could save people’s lives. How popular would doctors be if they prescribed dark chocolate? 

The Caveat

And you’re like, sure but what’s the catch? The catch is that the healthy nature of chocolate comes from its cocoa.  That’s why darker chocolate is better. Think about using your chocolate as a vehicle for the cocoa. 

If you need a rule, strive for chocolates that have 70% cocoa or more. That way you get more of the heart healthy stuff with less of the sugars — a double bonus!