Craving chocolate? A bite or two is good for you!
This time of year, sugary sweets are everywhere you turn. While gorging on cookies and candy isn't healthy, satisfying your chocolate craving may be good for you. Several studies show some of the chemicals in chocolate actually promote good health.^{1, 2, 3} But the type of chocolate you choose — and how much you eat — makes a difference.

Why chocolate is good for you
Why people crave chocolate
Choose your chocolate wisely
Where to find out more

Why chocolate is good for you
The cocoa in chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is actually the seed from the fruit of the cacao tree. Cocoa, like many other foods that come from plants, contains disease-fighting chemicals called antioxidants. (See "How Antioxidants Work")

Antioxidants are thought to:

• Prevent clogged arteries, a contributor to heart disease
• Increase "good" cholesterol levels
• Decrease "bad" cholesterol levels
• Reduce your risk of cancer
• Boost your brainpower
• Slow the physical and mental effects of aging

The cocoa in chocolate has a lot of "flavonoids," which are a type of antioxidant. These compounds add color to fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Generally, the darker the color, the more flavonoids present — but you can also get them from onions, nuts, and some other light-colored plant foods.

Chocolate also has small amounts of other good-for-you substances like magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron.

Dr. Samuel Benjamin, corporate medical director of integrative health strategies for Humana and host of a radio show about Complementary and Alternative Medicine, says, "One study, which, as a chocoholic, I applaud wholeheartedly, shows there may even be a relationship between moderate chocolate consumption and living a longer life."⁴

Why people crave chocolate
The chemicals in chocolate don't just affect your body. As any chocoholic knows, chocolate cravings are very real and very powerful. Some possible reasons:

• Chocolate improves your mood — sweets like chocolate cause the release of brain chemicals, namely endorphins and serotonin, that give you a sense of well-being
• Chocolate is stimulating — it contains compounds that boost your energy, including caffeine
• Chocolate taps into positive emotions — we associate it with love, happy times, and celebration
• Chocolate has a unique texture — the cocoa butter in chocolate melts in your mouth, giving you an enjoyable experience

Scientists are still trying to figure out why we crave chocolate and what it does to the brain. For the time being, they say chocolate cravings are probably a combination of chemical and psychological factors. ^{5, 6, 7}

Choose your chocolate wisely
Remember, the healthy stuff is in the cocoa beans. The more the cocoa is processed and combined with other ingredients, the less healthy it is. Therefore, unsweetened cocoa powder delivers the most antioxidants. A cup of hot cocoa has more antioxidants than a cup of tea or a glass of wine. In fact, drinking hot cocoa tends to release more of the antioxidants than cold cocoa.⁸

Dark chocolate also contains a lot of cocoa, so it's a good source of antioxidants. Many manufacturers are capitalizing on this fact by boosting cocoa content and touting it on the label. What if you don't like dark chocolate? Milk chocolate has some antioxidants, but they aren't as concentrated because of the added sugar and milk. White chocolate doesn't contain cocoa at all, so it isn't a good source of antioxidants.

Dr. Benjamin says moderation is the key: "While chocolate is good for you, the sugar that is used to sweeten chocolate is not good for you, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease." In addition to sugar, chocolate contains stearic acid, a saturated fatty acid that's a risk factor in heart disease. So a few bites can be part of a healthy diet — but a full-sized candy bar every day would probably make you gain weight, not get healthy. Unfortunately, you can have too much of a good thing!

Where to find out more
For more details, as well as healthy recipes that include chocolate, visit the Healing Kitchen on MyHumana. Just go to www.humana.com and log in to your personal home page with your User ID and Password. Place your mouse over "Health Resources" at the top of the page, click on "Healing Kitchen," and type "chocolate" in the search box.

Bottom line:
Like other plant-based foods, chocolate contains good-for-you antioxidants. A small amount is a healthy indulgence — especially if you choose dark chocolate — but eating too much has more drawbacks than benefits.

Sources:
1 - Waterhouse AL, Shirley JR, Donovan, JL. Antioxidants in Chocolate. Lancet. 1996;348: 834. Vinson JA Presentation to the American Chemical Society, March, March, 1999.
2 - Taubert, D. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Aug. 27, 2003; vol 290: pp 1029-1030.
3 - Serafini, M. Nature, Aug. 28, 2003; vol 424: p 1013.
4 - British Medical Journal, December 19, 1998; 317:9-10.
5 - Wurtman RJ, Wurtman JJ. Carbohydrate cravings, obesity and brain serotonin. Appetite. 1986;7:99-103.
6 - Hurst WJ, Martin RA, Zoumas, BL. Biogenic amines in chocolate: a review. Nutr Rep Intl. 1982;26:1081-6.
7 - Michener W and Rozin P. 1994. Pharmacalogical Versus Sensory Factors in the Satiation of Chocolate Craving. Physiol. Behav. 56,419-422.
8 - Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, December 3, 2003.

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