An ounce of dark chocolate a day keeps the stress away

Now, this has got to be the sweetest news: An ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks can cure emotional stress, according to a clinical trial.

I love chocolates! Who doesn’t? But not all chocolates are created equal. Sink your teeth into the deep dark secrets of chocolate just about now. We’re talking dark chocolate (unprocessed or raw cacao) here, not processed milk chocolate (which I equally love!). Milk cancels out dark chocolate’s antioxidant effect so make sure not to wash down your dark chocolate bar with a glass of milk.

Take heart: Studies show that the flavonoids in dark chocolate are potent antioxidants that devour the free radicals, those nasty molecules that are the culprits in heart disease.

More hearty news: Consuming a small bar of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol by up to 10 percent. 

But take double note: Too much of a good thing may not be good. You only need 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate to get its benefits.

And why does dark chocolate make us feel good? Because it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of (guilty) pleasure. It contains theobromine and caffeine, which are stimulants. It contains serotonin, an anti-depressant.

As a certified chocoholic, don’t you find yourself reaching for a chocolate when you’re feeling depressed or stressed?

Now read this while you’re nibbling on your chocolate bar: Scientists pointed to reductions in stress hormones and other stress-related biochemical changes among highly-stressed volunteers who ate dark chocolate for two weeks.

A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry compared the cocoa antioxidant contents of commercially available chocolate and cocoa-containing products sold in the United States. 

Included in the study were the top-selling three or four brands of natural cocoa powder, unsweetened baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, and chocolate syrup, each of which was tested for “antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, and individual flavanol monomers, and oligomers.”

The products found to have the highest level of flavanol antioxidants were cocoa powders, followed by unsweetened baking chocolate, dark chocolate and semi-sweet chips, then milk chocolate and finally, chocolate syrup.

According to health activist Dr. Joseph Mercola, a recent meta-analysis sought to evaluate the association between chocolate consumption and the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders refer to a cluster of interrelated risk factors that promote the development of coronary heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Researchers pooled the results of seven studies that included more than 114,000 participants. Five of the seven studies showed a “beneficial association between chocolate consumption and reduced risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders.”

Of course, this is not the first time that dark chocolate is being hailed as a heart-healthy choice. About five years ago, researchers found that small amounts of dark chocolate can cut one’s risk of heart attack, “because, just like aspirin, chocolate has a biochemical effect that reduces the clumping of platelets, which cause blood to clot. Platelet clumping can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack.”

We just can’t get enough of dark chocolate’s sweet benefits. In 2008, researchers found that specially formulated raw cocoa powder can prevent cardiovascular disease in diabetics. For one month, diabetic patients were given a special high-flavonol cocoa drink, which brought their blood vessel function from severely impaired to normal.

Digging deeper into their rich, glossy, smooth dark chocolate, researchers have also discovered that a compound called epicatechin may protect the brain after a stroke by increasing cellular signals that shield the nerve cells from damage. A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain gets blocked, depriving it of the necessary oxygen and nutrients. Epicatechins (also found in tea, red wine, and certain fruits and vegetables) may help stroke victims.

In terms of antioxidant benefits, raw cocoa powder ranks very high. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemisty  notes that a 2003 study found that a cup of hot cocoa, using pure cocoa powder, had almost double the amount of antioxidants found in a glass of red wine, double the amount in green tea, and four to five times more than black tea.

Excuse me while I go and finish my half bar of dark chocolate.

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