How Much Chocolate Is Healthy?

It might be a dream of yours to fall onto a bed full of chocolates, but there actually is a limit to how much chocolate you can eat in order to consider it a healthy snack. Many people might consider it a weakness to be indulging in chocolate, but according to a 2009 paper published in the "Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis," consuming a small piece on a regular basis, especially dark chocolate, might help people with diseases like cancer and heart disease because of its anti-inflammatory properties. In recent research, regular 20 gram doses of dark chocolate also are great for your heart and can alleviate symptoms of fatigue.

Healthy Dose

To get the anti-inflammatory health benefits of dark chocolate, you need only ingest about half of a standard-size candy bar or one or two squares on a regular basis. In 2008, Italian researchers revealed in "Nutritional Epidemiology" that consumers of up to 20 grams of dark chocolate every three days had significantly lower serum C-reactive protein concentrations, an inflammatory marker in the body, than those who ate none or those who consumed higher amounts. As with starting any new regimen, consult your doctor and dietitian first, since indications for chocolate consumption is different for everybody.

Antioxidant Properties of Chocolate

In 2010, the Cleveland Clinic stated that flavanols, a polyphenol in the flavonoid family, contained in cocoa beans have antioxidant properties that shield your body from free radicals in your environment, such as cigarette smoke, pollution and contaminants in the food you eat, such as charred meat. Flavanols can decrease the damage done by free radicals and decrease the oxidation of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol in your blood to reduce plaque formation on your arterial walls, leading to a lower risk for heart disease.

Lower your Cholesterol Without Affecting Blood Sugar

A 2010 study displayed in "Diabetes Medicine" found that chocolate high in polyphenols, often the dark kind, is effective in raising HDL, or "good," cholesterol levels in your body without affecting weight, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance or glycemic control. This makes dark chocolate a better sweet than other candy because it requires more time to digest and therefore causes less fluctuation in blood sugar.

Might Help Fatigue

"Nutrition Journal" published a study in 2010 that suggests the consumption of chocolate high in polyphenols might improve symptoms of chronic fatigue. Symptoms and signs of fatigue improved significantly after eight weeks of intervention for random participants who consumed a high-polyphenol chocolate compared with those who consumed the low-polyphenol variety. Anxiety and depression scores in the results of this study also improved after this particular intervention, leading to a positive association between the consumption of polyphenol-rich chocolate and the symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pregnancy and Chocolate

Researchers at Yale University in 2008 published a study in "Epidemiology", which reveals that women who eat moderate amounts of chocolate on a regular basis decreased their risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy, a dangerous complication characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Higher levels of theobromine in the blood of chocolate-consuming pregnant woman are associated with a lower risk of developing preeclampsia, and dark chocolate has been shown to contain higher levels of theobromine than other varieties.