Dr. Jonny Bowden

Tag: chocolate

  • Dark Chocolate Is Good For Your Heart

    Dark Chocolate Is Good For Your Heart

    A new study just came out adding to the growing body of research pointing to the conclusion that dark chocolate is a serious health food.

    You’ve heard me go on about the health benefits of dark chocolate more times than we both can count. But the research just keeps coming in, and dark chocolate keeps looking better and better!

    We already know from a previous study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that women with the highest weekly chocolate intake (45 grams a week or more) had about 1/3 the number of strokes as women who consumed the least amount of chocolate.

    We also know that dark chocolate:

    The new study—published in the Journal of Nutrition—examined the effect of flavonoid-rich cocoa on major cardiovascular risk factors including:

    • blood pressure
    • cholesterol, BMI (a measure of overweight)
    • C-Reactive Protein (a measure of inflammation)
    • fasting blood sugar
    • fasting insulin
    • insulin sensitivity/insulin resistance

    The researchers performed what’s called a meta-analysis, which is a study of other studies; researchers gather a whole bunch of papers (in this case twenty four) pool the information and look for consistent trends and findings.

    In this case, they found that flavonoid rich cocoa definitely affects a whole bunch of cardiovascular risk factors. Flavonoid-rich cocoa consumption significantly improved blood pressure, insulin resistance and lipid profiles.

    Researchers have long suspected that the health benefits of dark chocolate are due to the high flavonoid content of cocoa. Flavonoids are plant chemicals with multiple health benefits- they’re antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. The specific flavonoids found in dark chocolate are called flavanols, and are believed to be responsible for the benefits.

    The flavanols in cocoa also do something else that’s very important. They modulate a compound in the body called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide  is critical for healthy blood flow and healthy blood pressure and is a very important compound in the area of cardiovascular health. One reason that chocolate lowers blood pressure may well be that flavanol-rich cocoa actually supports the body’s ability to synthesize nitric oxide.

    Remember, all chocolate is not created equal! To get the kinds of benefits on cardiovascular health that the studies all point to, you must consume dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (60% or more, preferably 65-70%). As the percentage of cocoa goes up, the chocolate bar tastes less sweet and more bitter.

    A 100% dark cocoa bar is almost inedible;  but a bar with around 60-75% still tastes great and yet doesn’t tend to spark cravings the way a high-sugar bar would. Remember that commercial chocolate bars—milk chocolate, white chocolate, low-cocoa dark chocolate—tend t0.o be filled with sugar and chemicals. For the real deal, go for the organic kind and make sure the cocoa content is high so you’re assured of getting all those beneficial flavanols!

  • Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

    Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6BFYvaPfVw

    Today I want to tell you about a “health prescription” that’s not only easy to follow, it’s one you’re going to love to follow: Eat one to two squares of dark chocolate every day.

    Study after study is confirming that plant chemicals in dark chocolate called flavanols can lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. And a brand new study in the British Medical Journal found that high levels of chocolate consumption are associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease.

    A number of recent studies have found that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity, which, as you know, is a key factor in preventing diabetes and obesity.

    In the study in the British Medical Journal, Dr. Oscar Franco and his research term carried out what’s called a meta-analysis of all the existing evidence to find out what the effects of eating chocolate were on cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

    So they analyzed the results of seven different studies involving over 100 thousand participants with and without heart disease. For each study, they compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption. Differences in study design and quality were also taken into account to minimize bias.

    Five of the studies they looked at reported a beneficial link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. In fact, the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke when compared to the lowest levels.

    Now the thing about chocolate is that all the good stuff is found in the cocoa that it’s made from, so you really want to find a high-cocoa chocolate- we’re not talking about the candy bars you get at the 7-11 here, we’re talking about a cocoa-rich chocolate that contains all the flavanols that have been found to be so healthy. White chocolate and milk chocolate don’t have any of these, so you should really look for at least 60% cocoa when choosing a chocolate bar. You’ll also find that this kind of chocolate is really easy to eat in small quantities- it’s not so sweet that it causes you to crave more and more of it, and it’s really easy to be satisfied with just a square or two, which is really all you need for the health benefits.

    And if for some reason you don’t like chocolate, or want to save the calories, another great way to get the benefits of cocoa flavanols is with a terrific supplement I’ve come across called COCOA-WELL. We don’t even sell it- it’s available at GNC- but it’s really good stuff and you can get a significant dose of those heart healthy cocoa flavanols just by taking one or two of these pills a day. You won’t get the great chocolate taste, but you also won’t get the calories!

  • Eat Chocolate for Heart Health

    Eat Chocolate for Heart Health

    A study from Harvard examined the chocolate-eating habits of over 31,000 Swedish women and concluded that women who consumed an average of one to two servings of high-quality chocolate per week were at 32% lower risk of developing heart failure. Those who ate one to three servings per month had a 26% lower risk.

    Which ain’t bad.

    But the benefit—at least in this study– disappeared when the women ate a lot more. While 20-30 grams a month of chocolate per month reduced the risk of heart failure, more chocolate than that (one to two servings a week) and the benefit disappeared, while much more than that (three to six servings a week) and the risk actually increased by 23%.

    “At least for women, consumption of chocolate seems to be associated with a decreased risk of heart failure, but the protective effect was only seen with relatively small amounts of consumption, less than one serving a day,” said senior study author Dr. Murray Mittleman. “With higher levels, the benefit appears to be lost and perhaps even [have] a detrimental effect.”

    However a study earlier in the year- the largest one to examine the association between chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease- found a protective effect at much greater intakes. In that study, individuals consuming 7.5 grams per day (about one square) had a 39% lower risk of heart attack and stroke than individuals who ate almost no chocolate.

    Other studies have examined the effect of high-cocoa chocolate on blood pressure (it lowers it) but the Harvard study is the first to examine the relationship of chocolate to heart failure (also called congestive heart failure), a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood sufficiently to the rest of the body.

    (Much research has shown that Coenzyme Q10 can be helpful to people with congestive heart failure. The heart needs a constant supply of ATP, the energy molecule needed so badly by the heart, and ATP can’t be produced without Coenzyme Q10.)

    Back to cocoa. Plant compounds in cocoa called flavanols help modulate a compound called nitric oxide, which is critical for healthy blood flow and healthy blood pressure. In one Italian study, dark chocolate was shown to lower blood pressure, and the reason may well be that flavanol-rich coca actually supports the body’s ability to synthesize nitric oxide.

    So go ahead and enjoy chocolate on this day which was almost meant to celebrate it. Just be sure you choose “high-cocoa” dark chocolate. The higher the cocoa content the more good stuff is in it (but the more bitter it tastes). Look for 60- or 70-percent cocoa which should provide all the flavanols you need plus taste as sweet and delicious as you expect chocolate to taste.

    And until the research on eating chocolate for heart health gets a little clearer on the “perfect” dose, stick with a square or so a day (or every other day).