Can Chocolate Be the Answer to a Healthy Heart?

The following guest post is from Jessica Johnson, a member of Long Island Heart Associates of New York and contributor to their blog.

Can Chocolate Be the Answer to a Healthy Heart?

In recent studies from the last several years, top cardiologists have seen that chocolate can actually help reduce and lower blood cholesterol thanks to the power of flavonols. This particular class of flavonoids has natural antioxidants that benefit your body as well as help lower blood cholesterol. It also will help improve the blood flow through the body, causing blood platelets to become less sticky, which lowers their ability to clot, while also lowering cholesterol.

These flavonoids are found naturally in cocoa giving it that slightly bitter or more pungent taste in its natural form. Even after cocoa beans have been baked and refined to create commercial chocolate bars, the flavonols still remain intact.

This does not mean however, that we can pig out and eat chocolate cake or ice cream to our hearts’ desire. While moderate servings of chocolate provide benefits to the heart, excess amounts come with enough fat, sugar and calorie content to outweigh any positive results. Remember, everything in moderation.

Darker chocolates with at least 70% cocoa content provide the most benefit for heart health. The flavonols in these chocolate bars are at a much higher and healthier content than in the lower levels of cocoa. Dark chocolate has a bitterer taste, but is far superior in health. Sweeter chocolates as well as lower quality chocolates can’t offer the same nutrition as their darker counterparts because of the extra ingredients added to the final product. The bitter flavor of dark chocolate varieties is more of an acquired taste for many people, so as a result sugars are added and the cocoa is processed to remove that taste.

Milk chocolate may taste much sweeter and nicer, but the nutritional value unfortunately is destroyed. Chocolate in this form no longer will be an ally to your heart but will instead become one of its many foes. Remember to opt for the darker chocolates (a personal favorite is Lindt 70% dark) and enjoy it in moderation. You’ll have a delicious treat that is sweet for both your taste buds and your heart.