Researchers from the Netherlands reported the findings. The Dutch researchers studied 44 middle-
aged men who were considered overweight. The men ate 70 grams of both dark and milk chocolate
every day over two periods of four weeks.
The heart-healthy substance in chocolate is an organic
substance called flavanol. Flavanols are also found in
vegetables, fruits and green tea.
Gerald Weissmann is with the FASEB Journal, which
published the study findings earlier this year. He says the
researchers found that there is something about the
flavanols in dark chocolate that makes people like it more
than milk chocolate.
“In this controlled study -- the first time it’s ever been done -- they gave the same amount of flavanol
in dark chocolate and regular chocolate. And lo and behold, the men didn’t have different amounts of
flavanols in the diet. But they ate more of the dark chocolate one because they liked it better.”
Mr. Weissman says researchers asked the men in the study to talk about the smell and taste of dark
chocolate.
“So, the taste component or psychological component of dark chocolate improved, number one, the
elasticity and response of the arteries to blood flow, number two, the way that neutrophils -- white
cells -- stick to the lining of blood vessels and number three, markers of inflammation.”
And knowing it was good for the heart seemed to make the men feel less guilty about eating it.
Researchers may someday develop a treatment that has the same health benefits as dark
chocolate. But even if they do, we are sure that eating a piece of dark chocolate will still be more fun.
Scientists to Study Health Benefits of Chocolate
Dark chocolate has been shown to help prevent heart disease. But eating too much of it may cause
people to gain weight. Now, scientists are looking for a way to put dark chocolate’s helpful ingredients
-- or parts -- into pills. That way, we can get the benefits of dark chocolate, but not the weight gain.
Cacao has flavanols that may help reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. These chemicals may
lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve the body’s use of insulin. Insulin helps
control the amount of glucose or sugar in the blood.
Steve Koumanelis is a chocolatier. He makes and sells chocolate treats in Washington, D.C. He
says dark chocolate is an increasingly popular product.
“A lot of people are gravitating towards dark chocolate because they just decide they love it, and they
also have been reading all about the health benefits of dark chocolate.”
But those health benefits have yet to be confirmed in studies involving large numbers of people. Also,