| Health Mail Vol.1 Issue 3 | Title : Chocolate - News to Gladden the Heart | 1/1 |
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Chocolate is derived from the cocoa bean – a fruit that is a rich source of potentially beneficial substances. Chocolate lovers will be pleased to learn that there is a growing body of research that shows that chocolate is packed with high-quality polyphenols. The latest research on chocolate was presented at the European society of Cardiology's annual conference (year 2000) in Amsterdam. The health benefits come from chocolate being packed with high-quality polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants and research indicates that antioxidants may help the body's cells resist damage by free radicals. The polyphenols under study include a specific group, called flavonoids, which can be found in foods and beverages such as fruits, vegetables, red wine, tea and chocolate. The quality and quantity of the antioxidants is highest in cocoa powder, followed by dark chocolate and then milk chocolate. Dark chocolate contained about 8 times the polyphenol antioxidants as strawberries which rank high among fruits. Research has shown that consumption of dark chocolate and cocoa powder increased antioxidant levels which protected the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from being oxidized. This is important because this is what starts the process of atherosclerosis. In addition, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels were increased. Both these findings are associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. In Japan researchers fed cocoa extract to rabbits and found that it retarded cholesterol oxidation which leads to artery plaque build-up. In the U.K. £3.5 billion is spent on chocolate a year. Chocolate eating has for years been linked with obesity, although chocolate only forms a very small part of most people's diet ( 2% to 3% of total fat). Obesity is more likely to occur in people who never eat chocolate but who consume a wholly fatty diet consisting of french fries, pies and pizzas. For more information about chocolate and polyphenols : www.chocolateinfo.com www.candyusa.org |
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