Is chocolate good for you? WaPo says no, but does science say otherwise?
In the past it was common sense that everything chocolaty was bad for you. Then it became cool to tout the health benefits.
Until it became fashionable to debunk everything.
But what is the truth about chocolate? Is it really good for you or not?
Let’s find out.
Eat 2lbs or 1kg of Chocolate Per Day!?!?
According to the Mayo Clinic chocolate has the following possible health benefits:
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves vascular function
- Anti-oxidants reduce cell damage in heart disease
- It may also reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attacks.
So why would the Washington Post claim that we would ‘need to consume 4¾ ounces of dark chocolate, or 750 calories a day, and 2½ pounds of milk chocolate, or 5,850 calories daily’ in order to get any potential health benefit?
Make no mistake you metric counters, we are talking between 135g and, on the top end of that scale, 1.13kg of choc per day!
The contributing columnist at the WaPo took the time to call the expert at the Mayo Clinic and learned that as the benefits of chocolate come mainly from the flavonols in the chocolate that contain the anti-oxidants, and that as these anti-oxidants exist only in very small amounts in chocolate, you would be required you to eat the large quantities quoted above.
Additionally, the expert, Registered Dietician, Katherine Zeratsky, pointed out in her response, that all of the benefits listed are possible, but not proven and thus her conclusion is that ‘more research is needed to confirm these results’.
She also points out that when you eat regular chocolate you are getting milk products, fat, processed sugars and plenty of other things that cannot be classed as health food. On balance, all of the benefits would gain from the flavonols would be offset by the fat, milk, sugar and other additives.
Further Evidence For Chocolate & Cacao
One thing missing from both the WaPo and the Mayo Clinic response however, is any discussion of meta-analysis of clinical studies which forms conclusions based not on individual trials but rather on clusters of studies that are deemed to be of both high quality and of similar criteria.
An excellent place to find these is the Cochrane Library, the gold standard resource for systematic review material.
One such review conducted in 2017 analysed 35 studies in total measuring amounts of between 30 to 1218 flavonols which equates to a much more manageable 1.4 to 105 grams of cocoa products per day.
Compare this to the 135 grams to 1.13kg cited by the Washington Post!
The conclusions of this review were that there is moderate evidence that flavonol rich cocoa and chocolate consumables cause a small but statistically significant (2 mmHg) short term lowering of blood pressure in adults.
Final Conclusions… Eat With A Clear Conscience!
I should mention that I have no particular attachment to the outcome of these trials. Whether it is healthy or not, I will eat dark chocolate, so looking at the evidence as dispassionately as I can, I think that while the Mayo Clinic and the Washington Post were happy to consider the idea of healthy chocolate as being more or less debunked, it is not possible to say this just yet.
The Cochrane Library is quite clear that multiple studies showed a small but measurable result in easily consumed amounts of chocolate and cocoa products. The amounts are small and if you choose good quality dark chocolate and organic cacao powder then any potential negative effect of additives to the product will be minimized.
My personal choice based upon the available evidence will be to continue to enjoy chocolate and cacao products and to give preference to the dark and vegan varieties. I won’t kid myself that it is a super food with miraculous heart and other health benefits, but I’m happy to accept the evidence that the small amounts of flavonols may be doing me some good.
What do you think? Are you a choc-head? Can’t get enough? Or maybe your blood is boiling because you KNOW its a health food.
Let us know either way in the comments and of course it goes without saying that this is not medical advice. If you have any medical condition, please, please, please consult with your doctor!
References
Can Chocolate Be Good For |My Health?
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D, L.D.
Is chocolate healthy? Alas, the answer isn’t sweet. Here’s why.
Steven Petrow, Contributing Columnist.
Effect of Cocoa on Blood Pressure
https://www.cochrane.org/CD008893/HTN_effect-cocoa-blood-pressure
Ried K, Fakler P, Stocks NP