Chocolate May Boost Heart Health

(HealthScoutNews) -- If that special person in your life loves chocolate, here's a good excuse to give him a box of his heart's desire this Valentine's Day.

It turns out that chocolate is good for your heart.

That's the conclusion of researchers at the University of California at Davis. They reviewed recent studies on chocolate and its health benefits. They found that the main flavonoids in cocoa -- flavan-3-ols -- are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study appears in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

In a written statement, registered dietician and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Althea Zanecosky explains how cocoa benefits heart health.

Cocoa has the same nutrients found in other plant foods. Those include minerals and antioxidants that help fend off disease -- including heart disease. Also, a third of the fat in chocolate is made up of oleic acid. That's a monosaturated fat, also found in olive oil, that's been shown to benefit heart health.

While this is good news for chocolate lovers, it's not an excuse to get carried away. You should consume chocolate only in moderate amounts, nutrition experts say.

Also remember to incorporate a wide range of phytochemical-rich (plant nutrients) foods in your diet. That would include fruits and vegetables, red wines and teas.

For those of you who wish to truly appreciate chocolate, Zanecosky offers some tips. You should taste chocolate on an empty stomach and the chocolate should be between 66 degress F and 77 degrees F. Don't put your chocolate in the fridge. That causes the cocoa to separate and form a white "bloom."

If you're tasting several different kinds of chocolate, you should always begin with the chocolate that has the least cocoa. That's most likely a milk chocolate. White chocolate doesn't have any cocoa. It's made with cocoa butter.

When sampling dark chocolate, let the chocolate sit in your mouth for a few seconds. That releases its primary flavors and aromas. Then chew it a few times to enjoy the secondary aromas.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about chocolate.

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