Valentine’s Day is here and many couples are celebrating, but for some, chocolate is their one true love. Elvira de Mejia, professor of food science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), explores the health benefits of dark, white, milk chocolate and even St. Valentine’s Day.
With Valentine’s Day on the way, let’s dive into the chocolate! What are the healthy compounds in chocolate and how do they work in our body?
Chocolate contains more phenolic compounds -? especially flavonoids (flavanols) such as catechin and epicatechin -? than any other food. These compounds have very high anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in our body. As we know, oxidative stress and inflammation are two of the main factors influencing the development of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the main components of cocoa are responsible for mediating inflammation and oxidative stress.
What are the differences between dark, milk and white chocolate?
What we call cacao or cacao is the dry, fully fermented seed of the fruit that later develops into chocolate. So chocolate is really a solid made by combining the products of cocoa liquor and cocoa butter, along with a lot of sugar. Cocoa percentages on chocolate packages represent the proportion of cocoa liquor. The type of chocolate consumed in the US is primarily milk chocolate, which typically contains only 10 to 12% cocoa liquor. Sweet, bittersweet or dark chocolate should contain at least 35% cocoa liquor, which is where you start to see health benefits. White chocolate contains only cocoa butter, at least 20% by weight, but no cocoa liquor. This makes it less recommended for consumption as it does not contain these healthy compounds.
How much chocolate do we need to eat to see health benefits?
There are many studies showing the health benefits of chocolate related to diabetes, immune response, cardiovascular disease, lowering hypertension and atherosclerosis. Several of these studies looked at the effects of 30 to 50 grams of chocolate per day, but positive health responses for myocardial infarction have been reported with as little as 7.5 grams per day. Other studies suggest that one to three servings per month, or one to two servings per week, can significantly reduce the rates of hospitalization or death from heart failure compared to no chocolate in the diet. At present, however, there are no official recommendations for chocolate consumption.
So when we consume chocolates for Valentine’s Day, do they contain the same healthy compounds?
We need to be careful about the sugar and cocoa butter content because of the calories and saturated fat they can contain. Also, dairy products added to chocolate, for example, can reduce the bioavailability of beneficial compounds when proteins and phenolic compounds interact with each other. It’s okay to enjoy Valentine’s chocolates, but as small amounts of a balanced diet! Avoid white chocolate or milk chocolate and try to eat dark chocolate whenever possible so you can reap some of the health benefits while having fun and celebrating Valentine’s Day.
