Amount Of Dark Chocolate Per Day For Cholesterol

Dark chocolate provides antioxidant benefits that may improve your cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, women who eat a moderate amount of high quality dark chocolate have a lower risk of heart failure than those who do not include chocolate in their diets. Dark chocolate may figure into a healthy heart profile.

Cocoa Solids

Not all chocolate is created equal. Some chocolates have more cocoa solids in them. More cocoa solids in a chocolate bar means it has a higher content of antioxidants called flavonoids. These are important in affecting cholesterol levels. Choose dark chocolate that has approximately 30 to 70 percent cocoa solids.

Sweden Study

The exact amount of dark chocolate necessary for health benefits is not absolutely set. In Sweden, 31,823 middle-aged and elderly women were studied for nine years. Those that consumed one to two servings of high quality chocolate weekly were 32 percent less likely to have heart failure. The high-quality chocolate in this study was mostly milk chocolate, but the European chocolate contains not less than 30 percent cocoa solids. In the United States, dark chocolate only needs 15 percent cocoa solids.

Finland Study

Another study published in the November 1, 2004, "Free Radical Biology and Medicine," found that women who ate 75 g of dark chocolate daily for three weeks had a significant improvement in cholesterol. The serum HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol was increased by 11.4 percent in the group eating the dark chocolate. Those that ate the dark chocolate enhanced with cocoa flavonoids found an increase of 13.7 percent in high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the "good" cholesterol, which means an improvement in cholesterol and heart health. The low-density lipoprotein serum, or LDL, the "bad" cholesterol decreased by 11.9 percent, consistent with a healthier cholesterol level.

Chocolate Amount

According to research in the "European Heart Journal," more than 19,000 participants who ate half a bar of chocolate a week had lower blood pressure; nearly 40 percent lowered their risk of heart disease, including stroke.
A bar of dark chocolate weighing 1.45 ounces is approximately 41 g of chocolate. There are about 5 to 6 calories in 1 g of dark chocolate with 60 to 69 percent cocoa solids, amounting to about 43 calories in 7.5 g of dark chocolate.

Warning

Avoid sabotaging an otherwise good thing: use dark chocolate in moderation and as part of a heart-healthy diet. In spite of its reported benefits, dark chocolate contains a lot of calories and saturated fat.