Latoya Young
Staff Writer
Valentine’s Day is approaching fast and many will be receiving and giving the number one gift associated with this American holiday, chocolate.
Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease.
Chris Glass, a junior healthcare administration major from St. Paul, Minn., said, “I think chocolate is good for you because studies have proven that chocolate raises endorphins, makes you feel good, increases energy, and is good for your skin.”
Dark chocolate not only contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries)it is also good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well.
Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
• Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
• Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
According to LiveScience.com, many previous studies have linked eating chocolate with other health benefits as well:
• A 2008 study found that people who ate a small amount of dark chocolate a day (about 6.7 grams) had lower levels of a protein that is associated with inflammation in their blood.
• Other recent studies have found that blood platelets clump together more slowly in chocolate eaters. Clumping platelets can lead to the formation of blood clots, which in turn can cause a heart attack. Chocolate consumption may lower blood pressure, help prevent formation of artery plaques and improve blood flow, according to other research.
• Eating chocolate may even help with math, or at least counting. A study reported in 2009 showed that people did a better job of counting backwards in groups of three after they had consumed a hot cocoa drink containing large amounts of a compound found in chocolate. These compounds, called flavonoids may increase blood flow to the brain.
• Chocolate may also have anti-cancer benefits because flavonoids may help reduce the cell damage that can spur tumor growth.
According to the California Academy of Sciences, not all chocolate is healthy.
A single bar of dark chocolate contains more than twice as many antioxidants as a bar of milk chocolate. Also, dark chocolate harbors fewer calories than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is much higher in saturated fats and calories simply because it contains milk.
Also, it contains fewer cocoa solids per ounce (and thus fewer antioxidants). In fact, it takes four cacao seeds to make one ounce of milk chocolate and 12 seeds to make one ounce of dark chocolate. About the only health advantage milk chocolate has over dark chocolate is that is contains calcium.
“I don’t think it’s healthy because of all the supplements added to it like sugar and other artificial ingredients,” said Maurice White, a senior industrial technology major from Tchula, Miss.
Jon’Aric Nathaniel, a junior communicative disorders major from New Orleans, La., disagrees.
“I love chocolate,” said Nathaniel, a junior “It may not be healthy for others, but it is for me.”
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