Jury still out on chocolate's benefits
I roll my eyes every time someone says that "chocolate is good for you." What are the facts?
It's sensible to be skeptical about claims like this. While there is some evidence that cocoa solids in chocolate offer some health benefits, you are right: Chocolate also contains a significant amount of fat and sugar (and therefore, calories) which could have health effects that aren't so desirable.
In August 2011, an article in the "News in Health" monthly newsletter from the National Institutes of Health (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/) provided a detailed overview of the latest studies on health claims about chocolate. Its conclusion is honest but hardly satisfying: The research remains far from clear.
It is true that cocoa solids contain a significant amount of flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant properties. In fact, there have been ongoing studies of these effects on the Kuna Indians, who live on islands off the coast of Panama and whose primary beverage is made from dried, ground cocoa beans with just a small amount of added sweetener. The Kuna get as much as 900 milligrams of flavonols (a type of flavonoid) daily from this drink -- and they tend to have much lower rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
But this amount of flavonols is almost unheard of in the American diet. A typical bar of dark chocolate (1.6 ounces) might contain about 250 milligrams of flavonols -- and also offers 9 grams of saturated fat, 21 grams of sugar and 240 calories.
Read more at the Chow Line.....
Article by Martha Filipic