It might be hard to think of that favorite dessert confection -- yes, chocolate -- as a plant. It's true, chocolate comes from the cocoa bean. Although chocolate now comes pre-packaged in all shapes, colors and sizes, dark chocolate is closest to the natural bean. Much to chocolate lovers' delight, the heart-healthy properties of dark chocolate have been proven by many formal studies.
Cocoa Content
Of the many types of chocolate sold, dark chocolate likely retains the most cocoa. Milk and white chocolate go through many refining processes in which most of the heart-healthy compounds are removed. Milk chocolate is laden with saturated fats and sugar, whereas most dark chocolates have a more potent, borderline bitter taste. To obtain the most heart benefits, dietitian Katherine Zeratsky suggests finding a dark chocolate that contains at least 65 percent or more cocoa content.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are the natural goodness in all plant-based foods. Divided into further subcategories, the flavonoids are the phytochemicals with heart-healthy properties. Flavonoids are found in onions, cranberries and red wine. Only cocoa beans contain a further subdivision of flavonoids called flavonols, which act as the immune system of the plant. These compounds protect and heal the plant from toxins and damage. When cocoa is ingested, flavonols are thought to do the same for the human body -- to protect and clean it of harmful toxins.
Antioxidant
Similarly to any system in the human body, the heart is not immune to damage from free radicals, which are basically waste products from environmental toxins such as sunlight damage and pollution, as well as waste from natural cellular processes within the body. Free radicals can damage arterial walls, allowing cholesterol and platelets to build up and lead to increased cholesterol, blood pressure and risk for atherosclerosis. The flavonols in dark chocolate are potent antioxidants that might help remove free radicals from arteries.
Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
A fringe benefit of free radical reduction is healthier arteries -- which lead to a healthier heart. The flavonols in dark chocolate have been linked to reports of decreased blood pressure, decreased bad LDL cholesterol and slowed platelet clotting in the arteries. When the arteries are clean, the heart does not need to contract, or work, as hard to push blood through the body. In return, this improves vascular functions throughout the body that can impact how every system works.
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