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Is Chocolate Good For You?

Posting Date: 12/20/2004

The Mayan Indians of Central America recognized the power of chocolate more than 3000 years ago. They liked the taste, but they also believed chocolate had healing properties. They used it as medicine, for fertility and spiritual guidance.

For the last few hundred years Americans have considered chocolate more devilish than divine. Desserts have names like ?chocolate decadence,? ?devil?s food cake? and of course, ?death by chocolate.?

Despite its negative image, chocolate is still one of our favorite flavors. And scientists are discovering that the Mayans were right. Chocolate has surprising healing properties.

Researchers have identified antioxidant compounds in chocolate called flavonoids that have a variety of health benefits. A small study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA; May 1, 2002) demonstrated that certain kinds of cocoa rich in flavonoids help keep blood platelets from clumping together. This aspirin-like action may well reduce the risk of blood clots that could lead to heart attacks.

Another study in JAMA (Aug. 23, 2003) noted that dark chocolate lowered blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients. While it?s doubtful chocolate could ever substitute for blood pressure medications, it is reassuring to know that it might be beneficial rather than harmful.

Besides reducing blood pressure, chocolate compounds seem to make blood vessels more flexible (J. Am. Coll. Nutr., June, 2004). Scientists believe that this is a plus for overall cardiovascular health.

More recently, researchers have reported that an ingredient in chocolate called theobromine may be more effective in controlling a persistent cough than traditional cough medicine containing codeine. Theobromine appears to calm the cough reflex, which is controlled in part by the vagus nerve.