Dark chocolate: best in small doses

October 7, 2008 – Snacking the equivalent of half a bar of dark chocolate per week may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. For the first time, an Italian study¹ shows that the daily consumption of a small dose of dark chocolate may have protective effects against chronic inflammation, a risk factor for heart problems.

According to the researchers’ calculations, the best anti-inflammatory effects would be obtained with an amount of approximately 6.7 g of dark chocolate per day. Cocoa is rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that are said to have a protective effect for the heart.

This study was carried out on 4,849 healthy subjects without risk factors (cholesterol level and blood pressure within the norms). The study authors assessed their diet using a questionnaire.

They measured the level of C reactive protein in the blood of the participants. This protein is a marker of inflammation that increases when risk factors for coronary heart problems are not well controlled.

The results show that the C-reactive protein levels of the 824 subjects who ate moderately dark chocolate on a regular basis were 17% lower than that of the 1,317 people who never ate it.

“This study is interesting because it opens up avenues of research for carrying out clinical studies with small doses of dark chocolate,” says Dr.^D Sylvie Dodin, who is leading a pilot clinical study on the effects of dark chocolate consumption on the blood pressure of pregnant women, at the CHUQ Research Center. To date, the majority of clinical studies have been done with high amounts of dark chocolate, from 40g to 60g per day, she says. With such doses, the harm to health outweighs the benefits. Participants in the study of D^D Dodin had to consume 20 g of dark chocolate per day.².

Not all chocolates are created equal

On the other hand, she has some reservations about the methodology of the Italian study. According to her, it is difficult to measure the amount of polyphenols, contained in dark chocolate, which was consumed by the targeted subjects using a questionnaire, like the one used by the researchers. The more polyphenols in dark chocolate, the more bitter it tastes, she recalls. The polyphenol content of chocolate in chocolate can therefore vary greatly if it is alkalized during its manufacture to soften its taste.

Moreover, the D^D Sylvie Dodin and her team had to test around thirty dark chocolates for the study on pregnant women in order to find at least two rich enough in polyphenols to have positive effects on health.

Carole Boulé – Passeport Santé.net

1. Di Guiseppe R, Di Castelnuovo A et al. Regular consumption of dark chocolate is association with low serum concentrations of C-reactive protein in a healthy Italian population, J Nutr. 2008 Oct; 138 (10): 1939-45.
2. The results of this study have not yet been published.