Unless you've been vacationing on Mars lately, you've been bombarded with a spate of reports touting the health benefits of chocolate. Can this news be true? Is that dark and delicious guilty pleasure really not so guilt-worthy after all? To find out, we interviewed Eric Ding, Ph.D, a top researcher from Harvard who was part of a team of investigators dedicated to analyzing and comparing the results of 24 – count 'em 24! – scientific studies focusing on the effects of consuming the sweet treat that we were long taught was forbidden.
ThirdAge: Is chocolate good for us?
Dr. Ding: Yes and no. Chocolate contains flavonoid-rich cocoa or FRC. In the papers we examined for the study we published in the "Journal of Nutrition," there was a consensus that FRC may have a cardioprotective effect. This is because can significantly lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol counts as well vascular dilation. FRC can also lower insulin sensitivity, and that can help prevent Diabetes. However, doses of FRC must be very high in order for people to get those benefits.
ThirdAge: So how much chocolate would we need to eat?
Dr. Ding: That's the catch. You would have to consume 8 dark chocolate bars or 33 milk chocolate bars or a day to notice any difference. Those amounts add up to over 3000 calories for the dark chocolate and over 7000 calories for the milk chocolate.
ThirdAge: So you obviously don't recommend eating that much chocolate!
Dr. Ding: Correct. Most people need about 2000 calories a day for healthy weight maintenance and those calories should come from a balanced diet of nutrition-rich foods. A little chocolate in the mix can't hurt since we know that other than having a lot of calories, it has no negative effects. But don't count on a few bon bons to protect your heart or ward off Diabetes. In fact if you ate enough chocolate to get the required FRC dose, you'd be a candidate for obesity, which is major cause of heart disease and Diabetes.
ThirdAge: Is there any way to get FRC other than eating chocolate?
Dr. Ding: Over-the-counter supplements are available. The recommended dose is 500 mg. These supplements are appropriate but you still need to eat well and keep your weight under control. One way to do that is to avoid sugar-sweetened sodas. When you take in "water class" calories from a liquid, your body doesn't perceive them right away so you think you're still hungry. If you eat a 200-calorie slice of bread, you chew and swallow and your appestat gets the message. In fact, if you eat 200 calories of jellybeans, the same thing happens. The candy isn't good for you but at least you're not artificially hungry after eating it. But if you drink 200 calories of soda, that doesn’t register and you want more. We call this appetite disregulation.
ThirdAge: What about substituting diet sodas?
Dr. Ding:Your appestat will still be disrupted because diet sodas are overly sweet. They cause a condition called taste disruption. That changes the way you perceive and enjoy fresh, healthy food. My advice? Drink water.
ThirdAge: OK, and what should we eat?
Dr. Ding: You know the drill: whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. And a little chocolate -- as long as you count the calories.
Eric Ding, Ph.D, a world-renowned nutritionist and epidemiologist, is on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He serves as a member of the Nutritional Expert Group of the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease Project. His research focuses on obesity and nutritional risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. A recipient of the Derek Bok Distinction in Teaching Award from Harvard College, he has published in the "New England Journal of Medicine," the "Journal of the American Medical Association," and the American Society of Nutrition's "Journal of Nutrition," among others.
