Chocolate..The NEW Health Food?

According to medical reports, the answer is yes, chocolate is good for your heart!

Andrew Waterhouse, a wine chemist at the University of California-Davis, published an article in the 1996 issue of the medical journal, Lancet, that said antioxidants found in chocolate, called phenols, might be heart-healthy.

By preventing the oxidation of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins--LDL), antioxidants contained in chocolate may protect against heart attack and stroke. Fatty plaque (oxidized LDL) buildup in the arteries leads to atherosclerosis. Numerous studies performed in animals have demonstrated that antioxidants can prevent plaque formation.

Waterhouse and his team measured the amount of phenols in cocoa powder, baking chocolate, and milk chocolate and tested them for their ability to block LDL oxidation in human blood. Pure cocoa powder (not instant cocoa mix, which is very low in antioxidants) came out on top as the densest source of antioxidants, followed by baker's chocolate, and milk chocolate. A typical milk chocolate bar, though the least concentrated source, still contained nearly the same amount of antioxidants as a 5-ounce glass of red wine. In addition, phenols from chocolate prevented LDL oxidation as effectively as antioxidants from red wine.

Here's what's so amazing about chocolate...
Other scientists such as Joe Vinson, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, found that the amount of antioxidants in chocolate was far greater than those found in fruits, vegetables, tea, and wine.

The story gets even better -
Penny Kris-Etherton and her colleagues from Pennsylvania State University found that when men ate large quantities of chocolate their cholesterol levels did not increase as expected. Stearic acid, the major saturated fat in chocolate, they concluded, is unique in that it does not elevate blood cholesterol levels in the same way other saturated fats do.

Despite this great news about chocolate, it still is high in fat and sugar - two factors that increase weight. "However, it is good to know that when you decide to have a chunk of chocolate, there's a chance it might be good for you and isn't a complete waste of calories," says Waterhouse.