Is Chocolate Healthy? II
Posted in:
Opinion
Oooh boy, a big can of complex biochemicals on this one. I am replying to all. I've been doing research into chocolate and it's health benefits for quite a while (read years) and have been giving lectures at medical conferences for many years on this subject (with a lot of help from medical folks and scientists).Chocolate contains a whole host of phenolic compounds and antioxidants. It is quite true to say that cacao beans right out of the pod contain the most compounds, however there is no chocolate flavor at all (as I am sure that most of you who have been down into the cacao growing lands have tasted). Bitter, astringent, unedible. Due to the fermenting, drying and roasting and the process to make chocolate (which creates all the flavor) the phenolic compounds are reduced. However, it is patently not true to claim that this process destroys all the health giving antioxidants. In fact, plain dark chocolate, say a 70%, has ORAC units off the charts, quite higher then most fruits (even the "new" fruits such as acia, mangostein, noni, goji, etc...). Some of the recent research states that one only needs to consume 5g a day to get plenty of antioxidants from this source. Anyone remember how much 5g actually is? I don't know anyone who just eats that little in one sitting, not me.The claim that "raw chocolate" (a contradictory statement) contains more phenolic compounds then chocolate is true, technically, but if you look at the actual numbers you will see that "raw chocolate" only contain between 1% to 20% greater compounds then say a 70% chocolate. I wonder why I would sacrifice flavor just to get a little more antioxidants?It is also true that the dutching process (alkalizing) removes up to 80% of all the 'health giving benefits'.There is plenty of research articles out there, just do a search on the nets. The Kuna indian research is now old stuff, been around for over 5 years. A lot of recent work continues to look at the effects on cardiovascular health and on the circulatory system in general. One study found that after one hour of consuming a cup of non-alkalized cocoa the micocirculation in the skin was increased significantly and the effects lasted for 4 hours. This is good news for elderly folks!Clay, your statement about the cocoa butter being 'technically saturated' is only partially true. It is the stearic and palmitic acids are saturated but the oleic and linoleic are not. In addition, the body transforms the stearic acid into oleic acid. Most of the cocoa butter is so poorly digested that approximately 80% just passes through the system. In addition, the cholesterol load is pretty much neutral. Many of the phenolic compounds are responsible for the metabolism and regulation of this process.I am not a big fan either of everyone jumping on the big band wagon that chocolate is the panacea to heal all or even to get your daily dose of health giving compounds. Even though there is a lot of positive research (amidst all the controversy) a lot does depend upon the source, methods and types/styles of consumption. And too, so far most of the research is ongoing, nothing totally solid. Plus, how much added junk and sugar is in the chocolate? As Andrew Weil likes to put it: "dark chocolate should be put onto the food pyramid up near the top in regulated doses, but not to the exclusion of a healthy balanced diet" -Nutrition & Health conference, Tuscan, AZ, 2005.As to the Xocia stuff - it is not chocolate. It IS unprocessed cacao beans, and from what I can tell, not from a very good bean source. I've tasted raw criollo and trinitario and they are not as unedible as forastero. Nor is the claim by that multilevel marketing company that they are the "first" to develop and patent "cold extraction" true (sorry folks, but Mars corp is). Even Mars is now making chocolate with added phenolic compounds. I've not tried it because the bean source is not to my liking, plus due to the added ingredients that make it reprehensible to me, and too sweet. I also do not like the uneducated hype that is behind Xocia, don't like the flavor, and the cost is at the same level of extremely high quality dark chocolate (that IS worth the price).Anything else?
Let me know if I can help in any way
