Artery Dilation & Chocolate

According to the American Heart Association, 1.2 million hospital stays in the United States in 2004 were due to atherosclerosis, the progressive buildup of fatty plaque deposits in the walls of arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. It's known that diet contributes to atherosclerosis, one reason scientists have studied foods like chocolate to see if they can help prevent this disease. Thanks to antioxidants in chocolate, results are showing that a cup of cocoa a day just may be able to keep heart disease at bay.

Chocolate Benefits

Like many plant-derived foods, chocolate contains antioxidants called polyphenols that help fight cell damage caused by free radicals in your body that can cause plaque buildup in arteries. Chocolate consumption also decreases levels of harmful LDL cholesterol, reduces the risk of blood clots, increases blood flow and may lower your blood pressure. According to a study published in 2006 in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," dark chocolate at a human dose equivalent to two bars per day significantly reduced blood triglyceride fats and improved cholesterol levels in vitro.

Atherosclerosis

Researchers in Japan investigated the heart benefits of antioxidants in cacao liquor, which is unsweetened chocolate extracted from cocoa beans. The results, published in "Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology" in 2008, showed that after six months of dietary administration of cacao liquor, the area of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta artery in rabbits was significantly smaller than rabbits in the standard diet group. The heart rate and blood pressure in the cacao-fed rabbits were also lowered.

Flow-Mediated Dilation

When blood flow increases through a vessel, the vessel dilates, a process known as flow-mediated dilation, or FMD. Impaired FMD in your brachial artery is widely regarded as an early and potentially reversible sign of vascular disease. In a study published in "Hypertension" in 2005, healthy volunteers given a dark chocolate cocoa drink exhibited improved FMD in their brachial arteries. A trial in 2008 on diabetic patients, published in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology," found that a single cocoa drink led to significant increases in circulating antioxidants and FMD, and a 30-day, thrice-daily consumption of cocoa increased FMD by 30 percent.

Considerations

Some cocoa powder products are treated with alkali to make them more appealing to consumers, but this form of processing can destroy much of the antioxidant content. You can avoid this by choosing natural or organic forms of cocoa and dark chocolate instead. Although milk chocolate still contains some antioxidants, the dairy in milk chocolate can interfere with absorption of antioxidants and may cancel out any potential health benefits.