Dark chocolate and the cacao beans from which it comes may have abundant enough quantities of antioxidants to deliver significant health benefits. However, the vehicle from which you get those disease-fighting compounds matters. A brownie is a fine treat on occasion if your diet is balanced and varied, but even if it's made with dark chocolate, it's not a healthy choice.
Dark Chocolate Benefits
According to 2011 research published by the National Institutes of Health, dark chocolate may have the potential to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improve blood vessel health and reduce the risk of diabetes. The Cleveland Clinic suggests that such benefits are due to the presence of flavanols, a type of antioxidant, present in cacao and dark chocolate. Flavanols may also contribute to healthy blood clotting and better blood flow to the heart and brain.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition information and specific composition of a brownie is very different from that of a dark chocolate bar. The studies demonstrating benefits from dark chocolate used subjects who ate sugar-free bars, but brownies have no such property. According to the USDA, a single 56-g brownie has about 230 calories, 2.5 g protein, 9 g fat, 36 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber and 20.5 g sugar. In contrast, a 56-g quantity of dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cacao has about 335 calories, 4.5 g protein, 24 g fat, 26 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber and 13.5 g sugar.
Alternatives
Experts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who conducted studies relating to dark chocolate's benefits disagree on how much chocolate might be necessary to deliver those benefits, but they do agree that processed chocolate and baked treats aren't the healthiest options because they contain notably smaller amounts of flavanols and significant amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. Instead of eating a brownie every day to improve your health, have a square of dark chocolate after meals or mix unsweetened cocoa powder into smoothies and protein shakes.
Considerations
Although it's true that eating dark chocolate in moderation can improve your health, it's far from the only method that works. Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition and one of the researchers at the University of Texas involved in studying dark chocolate's benefits, noted that weight loss is far more effective than chocolate in lowering blood pressure levels. Because of the dubious balance between flavanol benefits and the fat, calories and sugar present in dark chocolate and brownies, the safest strategy to improve your health is to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly.
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