Chocoholics beware!

Dec 27 2007

The prestigious British medical journal The Lancet has warned that dark chocolate may not be as good for us as we would like to think.

An editorial in the journal says according to health experts, claims that dark chocolate is good for you, may be misleading.

Scientists say plain dark chocolate is naturally rich in flavanols, which are plant chemicals believed to help protect the heart but according to the editorial many manufacturers remove flavanols from chocolate because of the bitter taste.

It seems dark chocolate might contain no flavanols at all while being rich in fat and sugar which are both potentially harmful to heart and the arteries.

The report follows recent research which has shown that flavanol-rich chocolate had a beneficial effect on circulation.

That research led by Dr. Andreas Flammer of the Cardiovascular Centre, Zurich, found that flavanol-rich chocolate caused blood vessels to open up and improved heart function in 11 heart-transplant patients while another study demonstrated that eating small amounts of dark chocolate can lower excessively high blood pressure.

But The Lancet says dark chocolate might not necessarily contain flavanols since cocoa solids can be darkened after flavanols are removed and even a dark-looking chocolate can contain no flavanols.

The Lancet says manufacturers rarely label their products with such information and consumers are therefore kept in the dark about the flavanol content of chocolate.

The Lancet editorial says even when flavanols are present dark chocolate is rich in fat, sugar and calories and those who eat a moderate amount of flavanol-rich dark chocolate will have to balance the calories by reducing their intake of other foods.

The Lancet says white or milk chocolate appears to offer no health benefits.