Dark Chocolate and Heart Disease

Can adding some dark chocolate to your daily diet help protect you from heart disease?

According to Linda Rao in Dark Chocolate Can Pack a Big Antioxidant Wallop, it is Dove Dark (by Mars, Inc.) that has a special kind of cocoa called Cocapro cocoa, which has high levels of flavanols.

These antioxidant flavanols help prevent bad cholesterol from oxidizing, which is great because LDL oxidation can lead to heart disease. In addition, people "with high blood levels of flavonoids have lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes."

In addition, Cocoapro cocoa helps reduce blood clotting and--similar to aspirin--may help prevent strokes or heart attacks caused by arterial plaque movement. In addition, some components of Cocoapro help keep arteries flexible and may help contribute to better blood pressure control.

Here's the catch, though: Take a maximum of 1 oz. of Dove Dark Chocolate a day.

And remember to keep nuts (for good fats) and fat-free fruits (for more anti-oxidants) in your diet. Since an ounce of dark chocolate contains a huge 11 grams of fat, it pays to have a healthy eating plan. Yes, that 11 g of fat means we'll need to take it out of some other part of our diet.

So here's to your healthy heart and a sensible diet, and a pleasant and mindful way of enjoying dark chocolate everyday!

[Here in the Philippines, the dark chocolates I've tried are Meiji, Nestle, and Lindt. I wonder where I can get Dove Dark in Manila?]

[ First posted on 01/26/2007 by Manuel Viloria ]