Valentine’s Day is a day to show love to the people in your life who make it special, and what better way to do that than with a box of chocolates? Despite the rising costs of virtually everything, Americans planned to spend nearly $26 billion on the romantic holiday by 2023with more than half of that spending going on sweet treats.
But while chocolate may be a symbol of your figurative heart, is dark chocolate good for your heart in a literal sense? If you’re a chocolate lover, you might be happy to hear that the answer is yes – in moderation. Too much of anything can be bad for you, but adding chocolate, especially dark chocolate, to your diet can have benefits.
What are the different types of chocolate?
There are three main types of chocolate: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.
Pure chocolate contains no milk. It is made from chocolate liquor or cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Dark chocolate usually contains between 50% and 90% cocoa. Milk chocolate, as the name suggests, adds condensed milk or milk solids to these ingredients. It contains approximately 10% to 50% cocoa. White chocolate does not contain cocoa and consists only of cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids.
How is dark chocolate good for your heart?
Due to the higher cocoa concentration, dark chocolate is packed with substances that can be good for your heart, such as flavonoids. Flavonoids are a type of polyphenols, which are naturally occurring chemicals found in plants. These compounds give fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and spinach, their color. Flavonoids are also found in red wine (more on that later). and in the cocoa solids that make up dark chocolate.
Polyphenols have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals: unstable oxygen molecules that can cause disease and premature aging. Another antioxidant found in both dark chocolate and red wine is resveratrol. Some studies show this Resveratrol can reduce the risk of inflammation and blood clots, which reduces the risk of heart disease. Resveratrol and other polyphenols also reduce oxidative stress, which occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body. Oxidative stress plays an important role in cardiovascular disease.
Dark chocolate also contains methylxanthines, alkaloids found in coffee and tea. Methylxanthine can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Finally, the cocoa butter in dark chocolate contains oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil. When it is replaced with fats and oils that are high in saturated fat, Oleic acid may reduce the risk of heart disease.
What is the best dark chocolate for heart health?
Although dark chocolate may have a protective effect on heart health, that doesn’t mean you should overindulge in it. Dark chocolate is high in fat and calories, so it’s important to enjoy it in moderation. Ideally, you should look for dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa, which is generally a good indicator of the amount of flavonoids it contains.
Don’t expect the same heart-healthy effects from milk chocolate or white chocolate. Milk chocolate contains a lot of sugar and fat and not enough cocoa solids to have the same protective effects as dark chocolate. White chocolate consists mainly of sugar and fat and has little nutritional value.
Is red wine good for you?
Because red wine contains some of the same compounds as dark chocolate, you might wonder if it’s good for you, too. Research has shown that this is the case moderate consumption of red wine – up to one drink per day for women and two for men – may have heart-healthy effects. Resveratrol is also found in red wine and studies show that low doses of resveratrol may have protective effects on the heart in patients with coronary artery disease.
Yet emerging research shows otherwise. Authors of one study concluded that Moderate alcohol consumption can have both positive and negative effects on cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, the World Heart Federation states that “each level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of a healthy life.” Emerging research links alcohol consumption to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. However, the effects of regular, light alcohol consumption (maximum one drink per day) remain unknown. Overall, the jury is out on whether alcohol reduces cardiovascular risk, but it is clear that increased consumption increases the risk.
Protect your heart this Valentine’s Day
So, is dark chocolate good for your heart? That may be true, but it shouldn’t be your only choice for your heart health. You don’t want to overdo it in hopes of protecting your heart, because too much can have the opposite effect. Focus on a healthy diet and exercise and consult your doctor regularly, but know that a glass of red wine and a few pieces of dark chocolate can make your heart feel good in more ways than one this year.
