Study: New Super Chocolate Beats Heart Disease

A new study is the first to show that even those at high risk for heart disease can benefit from chocolate. Not but all chocolate is alike! Read on to learn more...

By Colette Bouchez
Love chocolate? Okay, silly question! Well now you have a new reason to really, really love chocolate! A new study reveals that natural compounds found in some types of cocoa can not only help reduce your risk of heart disease, they do so even if you have high risk factors – including high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

That's the finding of a new study to be published in an upcoming issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Here, scientists from The University of Barcelona in Spain report that chocolate containing up to 495 mg of polyphenols (a type of antioxidant nutrient) can reduce levels of inflammatory compounds that promote development of heart disease .

“Our results suggest that regular consumption of nutritional doses of cocoa may have an effect on all initial phases of the atherosclerotic process in subjects at high risk of CHD,” write the researchers.

The study is among the first human trials to prove the power of chocolate can make a difference even in those at high risk for heart disease including patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as those who are obese or who smoke.

How Chocolate Protects Your Heart

Increasingly researchers are discovering that one of the reasons factors such as cigarette smoking or a high fat diet lead to heart disease is via the promotion of inflammatory chemicals - natural compounds produced by the body in response to any type of assault.

According to experts from the American Heart Association, these inflammatory chemicals not only contribute to the formation of plaque – the material that clogs blood vessels – but also the development of blood clots. Indeed, research shows that nearly every step involved in the development of heart disease involves some type of inflammatory response.

Now, the new study shows that chocolate rich in a natural compound known as polyphenols – found primarily in dark chocolate or cocoa – may interfere with the production of some of the chemicals that kick off the inflammatory response. And therein lies it's protective qualities.

“These anti-inflammatory effects may contribute to the overall benefits of cocoa consumption against atherosclerosis,” conclude the researchers.

This effect, they say, includes a dramatic reduction in natural body chemicals which would otherwise cause a chain reaction of events that culminate in an increase in inflammation in the lining of blood vessels

How The Chocolate Study Was Done

The research involved 42 people, averaged age 70, all of whom had significant high risk factors for heart disease. This included folks who were smokers and/or had high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol , or a strong family history of heart disease.

At the start of the 8 week study researchers measured blood levels of two bio-markers known to indicate the presence of inflammation. Then, for a period of 4 weeks each participant was randomized to receive either a daily dose of 500ml of skim milk, or 500 ml of skim fortified with 40 grams of cocoa powder containing 425 mg of proanthocyanidins. This is natural compound belonging the family known as “flavonoids” and the specific group known as “polyphenols”.

After four weeks, blood tests were repeated, and the groups switched, so that the folks drinking the plain skim milk were now adding the cocoa powder and vice versa. Four weeks later their blood was again tested for inflammatory markers.

The result: Directly following the intake of the milk plus cocoa powder researchers were able to detect a measurable drop in several types of chemicals involved in the inflammatory process, when compared to the same time frame when they drank the milk minus the chocolate. Both groups also showed a reduction in the chemicals involved in the formation of blood clots following the 4 weeks using the cocoa powder.

In short, even those at seriously high risk for heart disease appeared to benefit from the chocolate.

Can A Chocolate Bar Prevent Heart Disease?

The short answer is “no” - at least not if it's the commercial type which is generally loaded with excess sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other fats, all of which can promote inflammation linked to heart disease.

That said, if you seek out chocolate bars or powders containing a minimum of 70% cocoa – and you can now find some as high as 80% - then even without the extra fortification you will be gaining some important benefits.

It's important to point out, however, that the cocoa used in this study was fortified with extra polyphenols – the active natural compound believed responsible for the results.

While that type of cocoa powder is not yet commercially available ( though it will be soon), you can fortify the power of any chocolate you eat right now by adding in some fruits rich in polyphenols – including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranates and grapes. Green tea is also rich in polyphenols, containing 3 times the levels found in black tea.

Colette Bouchez is the co-author of the just published book “The New Fertility Diet Guide: Delicious Food Secrets To Help you Get Pregnant Faster At Any Age.”

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