Is Dark Chocolate Good For The Heart?

If you are a chocolate lover, you have probably heard claims that chocolate can help your heart. Not all chocolate is the same, however. Specific antioxidants found in dark chocolate have cardioprotective qualities.

Expert Insight

Chocolate intake correlates with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, German nutrition epidemiologist Brian Buijsse and colleagues found after analyzing the results of 20,000 participants' diets over an average of eight years. The researchers published the results in the March 2010 issue of the "European Heart Journal." Those in the top quartile who consumed the most chocolate, slightly more than one bar per week, had a 27 percent reduced risk of heart attack and 48 percent reduced risk of stroke, compared with those in the bottom quartile who only ate about one bar per month.

Coronary Heart Disease Protection

Chocolate also inversely relates to prevalent coronary heart disease, a report in the September 2010 issue of "Clinical Nutrition" found. Dr. Luc Djousee and colleagues studied 4,970 participants between the ages of 25 and 93 in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women.

How Chocolate Helps

Cocoa beans naturally contain flavonol, a specific type of flavonoid. The flavonoids act as antioxidants that combat damage due to free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause oxidative stress, which scientists have linked to aging, atherosclerosis, cancer, inflammation, ischemic injury and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Flavonoid intake has an inverse relationship to mortality from coronary heart disease and incidence of heart attacks. Flavonol in cocoa can also reduce LDL cholesterol, the "bad" type of cholesterol, and help to lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate consumption may also guard against heart failure, according to the American Heart Association.

Milk chocolate and white chocolate are full of added fats and sugars. Of commercially produced chocolate, dark chocolate is the least processed and has the highest percentage of cocoa, thus retaining the most flavonol.

Other Benefits

In addition to the heart benefits, dark chocolate increases serotonin, a mood booster. It can also act as a stimulant because it contains theobromine and caffeine.

Small Servings Are Best

Chocolate is calorie-dense, so you should consume it in moderation. Weight gain can negate any of the positive effects of dark chocolate. Small servings of dark chocolate are beneficial for the heart only when added to a lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and proper exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, you should limit yourself to 3.5 oz., or about 100 g, of dark chocolate per day. While dark chocolate has some benefits, flavonol alone cannot overcome the damage unhealthy habits cause.