The Latest Health Benefits of Being a Chocolate Lover

It can't be denied that a single square of well made chocolate melting on your tongue is one of life's simple pleasures. It certainly is for me, and I was therefore quite excited to come across a recently published research article linking chocolate consumption with a reduction in the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. Let's take a look at the results of the study (published in BMJ, 2011) so that you can use them to justify your next chocolate indulgence.

Selection Criteria

The study involved a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that evaluated the association between chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart failure and diabetes. Of the initially identified 4,576 references, only seven met the selection criteria of the study, however these seven studies collectively included 114,009 participants. All of the studies measured chocolate consumption without specifying whether it was dark, milk or white, while one study measured cocoa consumption.

Beneficial association

Five of the studies reported there was a significant inverse association between chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders. High chocolate consumption was associated with about a third decreased risk of developing these disorders:

• 37% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
• 29% decreased risk of stroke
• no significant association with the risk of heart failure
• beneficial association between chocolate and diabetes found in a Japanese population

All of the studies were adjusted for potential confounders such as age, physical activity, body mass index, smoking status, dietary factors, education and drug use.

It is believed that chocolate (cocoa products) contains high levels of polyphenols that increase the bioavailability of nitric oxide. This potentially leads to benefits in endothelial function, reductions in platelet function and additional beneficial effects on blood pressure, insulin resistance, and blood lipids.

A word of caution

There is no doubt that consuming chocolate has a beneficial effect on the body, but before throwing caution to the wind and digging into a mound of this tasty product let's have a brief look at the downside. We all know that excessive consumption of products overloaded with sugar and fat will result in weight gain, a risk factor for hypertension, dislipidemia, diabetes and cardiometabolic disorders in general. The articles looked at in this study did not report on the sugar or fat content of the chocolate consumed, and indeed even included chocolate drinks, biscuits and snacks.

So... after reading through this study I'm inclined to use it to justify my love of chocolate. However, taking the cautions of the study into account I realise that I'm going to have to be a little more discerning when it next comes to indulging myself. I'll be looking for well-made products that have a high cocoa content and less sugar and fat – certainly more enjoyable and better for me.

Related: Chocolate benefits should be treated with caution