All dark chocolate not good for the heart

All dark chocolate not good for the heart

An editorial in The Lancet reminds us that all dark chocolates are not created equal!

A lot of studies have shown that Dark chocolate is good for the heart. This is because they contain lots of flavonoids – antioxidants which helps to reduce the oxidative damage to our body.

But the truth is that dark chocolate need not necessarily contain flavonoids. As flavonoids taste bitter, some companies remove the flavonoids from dark chocolate to make them taste better. All that remains is fat and sugar and there is no health benefit whatsoever. Most companies do not reveal the content of flavonoids in their products and we have no way for finding out whether they are heart healthy or not. (Unless of course you send them for analysis in a lab!) So the bottom line is, if you cant find a label describing the amount of flavonoids in the chocolate, you better stick to the traditional heart healthy diet – a balanced diet low in sugar, salt and fat, with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Reference: The Lancet