Out of the dark

Heart-healthier variety of chocolate gains shelf space in stores

By EDWARD M. EVELD
Knight Ridder Newspapers

Move over milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is commandeering real estate in the candy aisle, quite pleased with its deep, dark self.

It’s not just pricey imported chocolate bars taking up shelf space and boasting how dark they are. Take a look at the dark chocolate M&M’s and dark Hershey’s Kisses.

There’s method to this darkness. It just so happens that researchers recently have focused on the potential health benefits of dark chocolate, which ultimately could translate into … cha-ching. In fact, candymakers are reporting an increased demand for the biting taste of dark chocolate.

So far, candy packaging doesn’t claim such benefits, but some labels now billboard the candy’s “percent cocoa” content — 50, 60, 70 percent. That’s because the higher the cocoa content, nutrition researchers say, the better.

Chocolate is made from cacao beans, a great source of flavonoids, a beneficial plant compound that’s in other good stuff including green and red fruits and vegetables, red wine and green tea.

“The dark color serves as a marker that it’s got more of the flavonoids,” said Pete Beyer, associate dietetics and nutrition professor at the University of Kansas.

What good are flavonoids? Scientists are finding that higher blood levels of flavonoids create good cardiovascular effects, the kind that may lower the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

For dark chocolate lovers, the research, much of it sponsored by candymaker Mars Inc., is promising.

A report in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked high-flavonoid dark chocolate with improved blood pressure.

One study showed that dark chocolate consumption reduced the “stickiness” of blood, reducing clots and clumps, an aspirin-like effect.

Another showed that dark chocolate improved blood vessel function, a nitric oxide-like effect that could benefit cardiovascular health.

Another study found that a diet that included dark chocolate increased good cholesterol and helped prevent bad cholesterol from oxidizing.

These effects aren’t unique to the plant compounds in dark chocolate. Diana Rodenberg, registered dietician at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., said these are the same antioxidant effects people get from fruits and vegetables.

Carl Keen, chocolate researcher and nutrition professor at the University of California-Davis, said that an initial research question about dark chocolate was whether the body actually absorbs its beneficial compounds. The answer was yes.

“You can consume a cocoa beverage or chocolate bar rich in flavonoids, and within 30 minutes to an hour you can see them in the bloodstream,” Keen said.

Researchers followed up by showing some of the positive effects of those plant-based compounds.

Still, confirming the effects is a step removed from saying that flavonoids in dark chocolate actually improve heart health.

“It doesn’t prove anything, but it’s looking awfully good," Keen said.

Experts point out at least two other big caveats: One is the calorie problem. The other has to do with processing, which can greatly reduce the flavonoids in chocolate, including the dark kind.

In some studies that showed benefits, participants were given 100 grams of dark chocolate. That’s more than 3 ounces and 500 calories, way more than most people should add to their diets. A more reasonable amount, say an ounce and a half, is about 200 calories.

By contrast, a half-cup serving of nutrient-rich broccoli has just 14 calories. Green tea, another great source of flavonoids, has no calories.

“There may be some health benefits to dark chocolate, but you don’t want to go overboard,” Rodenberg said. “If you’re going to add it to your diet, you might have to compensate for the calories by reducing other things.”